Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling on grassroots conservatives to rally behind her legislative effort to stop companies from making money off “mutilating” the genitals of children.

Ms. Greene, Georgia Republican, on Friday told the crowd gathered for the annual CPAC conference just outside Washington that God is on her side in her push to make it a “felony to perform anything to do with gender-affirming care on children.” 

“This isn’t a right-wing extremist idea that we should protect children from making a horrible mistake,” Ms. Greene said. “There are independents, Democrats, Republicans all over America that agree we need to let kids be kids.”

Ms. Greene said the children who undergo sex change operations are often manipulated by what they’re seeing on the internet, including on social media, and may be dealing with autism, mental illness and depression.

“These victims come in thinking they are going to find happiness,” she said. The reality, she added, is far different.

Ms. Greene is likely former President Donald Trump’s most vocal advocate on Capitol Hill, where she aggressively defends him from criticism aimed at him from inside and outside the Republican Party.

She has channeled his hard-nosed and unconventional style and recently called for a “national divorce” that would separate the nation along political lines.

There is speculation she is angling to become Mr. Trump’s running mate if he captures the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

“She sees herself on the short list for Trump’s VP,” former Trump aide Steve Bannon told NBC News this year.

Ms. Greene also has been a strong advocate for Mr. Trump’s  America First agenda. She has railed against military adventurism, including the U.S. financial involvement in the Russian war with Ukraine, arguing taxpayers are getting a raw deal.

Ms. Greene said she is committed to “saying no” to sending more money to Ukraine.

Turning back to her gender legislation, she said she will turn to God to face down the “lion that looks to devour … our children.”

In August of last year, Ms. Greene introduced the Protect Children’s Innocence Act, which would make it a felony to give children puberty blockers or hormone treatment.

“Our God is the God that created our children, and because of him we will get this bill passed and the Republican Party will be the party that protects children from such an evil that I cannot believe it exists at this time,” she said.

• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.