President Donald Trump declared Saturday that he is giving “serious consideration” to revoking Rosie O’Donnell’s U.S. citizenship, escalating a bitter, decades-long feud with the American-born comedian.
In a fiery post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that O’Donnell “is not in the best interests of our Great Country” and suggested she “should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her.”
The Feud That Won’t Die
Trump and O’Donnell have been locked in a public war of words since 2006, when O’Donnell, then a co-host on The View, mocked Trump’s moral character and appearance during the Miss USA scandal. Trump fired back, vowing legal action and calling her a “loser” and a “woman out of control.”
Since then, their mutual contempt has repeatedly spilled into public view—from savage tweets to debate-night jabs. During the 2015 GOP presidential debate, Trump infamously brushed off accusations of misogyny by quipping, “Only Rosie O’Donnell.”
Citizenship Threat Tied to Immigration Agenda
While Trump’s Saturday post was laced with personal animus, it also echoed his hardline immigration stance. His administration has pursued an aggressive crackdown on birthright citizenship, issuing an executive order seeking to limit it—a move still entangled in legal battles. A June Supreme Court decision allowed some of those restrictions to take effect in select states.
But legal experts are unanimous: Trump cannot revoke the citizenship of someone born in the U.S., no matter how personally aggrieved he may feel.
“A president cannot unilaterally revoke someone’s citizenship,” said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a Cornell law professor. “There are legal procedures for denaturalization, and they are strictly limited—usually to cases of fraud.”
In the 1967 Supreme Court case Afroyim v. Rusk, the Court ruled that the U.S. government cannot revoke an individual’s citizenship without their consent.
Stephen Yale-Loehr, a professor of immigration law practice at Cornell University, told Newsweek in a Saturday email that “a president cannot unilaterally revoke someone’s citizenship.”
In a raw and unfiltered Instagram post, O’Donnell wrote:
“The president of the USA has always hated the fact that I see him for who he is — a criminal con man, sexual-abusing liar out to harm our nation for personal gain. This is why I moved to Ireland. He’s a dangerous, soulless old man with dementia, devoid of empathy, compassion, or basic humanity.
I stand in full opposition to everything he represents — and so do millions of others. What now, Don? Deport all who defy your evil instincts? You’re a bad joke who can’t form a coherent sentence.”
Trolling Trump with Epstein Photo
In a follow-up post, O’Donnell took it a step further, sharing an infamous photo of Trump alongside Jeffrey Epstein — the convicted sex offender who died in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting sex trafficking charges.
In the caption, she taunted:
“Hey Donald — rattled again? 18 years later and I still live rent-free in that collapsing brain of yours.”
She closed with a blistering sign-off:
“I’m everything you hate about what’s still right with this country. You want to revoke my citizenship? Go ahead and try, King Joffrey with a tangerine spray tan. I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
Her posts come as renewed attention mounts around Epstein-related records. Last month, Elon Musk claimed that the government has refused to release certain Epstein documents because, in his words, “Trump is in the Epstein files.” Trump has denied the allegation, but the claim has only intensified public interest.
Why the Trump–O’Donnell Feud Burns On
Their feud began in 2006 when O’Donnell, as co-host of The View, criticized Trump for holding a press conference to defend a Miss USA contestant embroiled in controversy. On-air, she mocked Trump’s moral credibility:
“He annoys me on a multitude of levels. He’s the moral authority? Left his first wife, had an affair. Left the second wife, had an affair. Had kids both times. But he’s the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America? Donald, sit and spin.”
She called him a “snake-oil salesman.” Trump responded by calling her “a woman out of control” and threatened to sue her for defamation. “Rosie’s a loser. A real loser,” he said. “I look forward to taking lots of money from my nice fat little Rosie.”
Over the years, their insults continued. In 2011, after O’Donnell got engaged, Trump tweeted:
“I feel sorry for Rosie’s new partner… a true loser.”
In the 2015 GOP debate, when Megyn Kelly confronted Trump about his derogatory remarks about women, Trump shot back: “Only Rosie O’Donnell.”
O’Donnell has long described Trump’s repeated attacks as “bullying.”
Why Rosie Moved to Ireland
O’Donnell, born in Long Island to an Irish immigrant father, moved to Ireland on January 15—just days before Trump’s second inauguration.
In a TikTok video explaining her relocation, she said:
“I miss many things about life at home. But when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights in America, that’s when we’ll consider coming back.”
She is currently pursuing Irish citizenship through descent.
Public Reaction to Trump’s Citizenship Threat
The president’s remark triggered swift backlash online.
@RepublicansAgainstTrump posted on X:
“And so it begins. Trump is now threatening to strip Rosie O’Donnell of her U.S. citizenship because she’s ‘not in the best interests of our Great Country.’ Remember when they mocked us for calling him a wannabe dictator?”
Ed Krassenstein, a popular anti-Trump commentator, added:
“This is what authoritarian leaders like Hitler would try to do. Imagine the MAGA outrage if Biden threatened to strip Trump of his citizenship.”
Chris Rossini of the Ron Paul Institute wrote:
“Epstein clients? Not a threat to humanity. Rosie O’Donnell? Public enemy number one? You can’t make this up.”
Dean Obeidallah, comedian and legal commentator, warned:
“This is to DISTRACT from the Epstein file. Trump is panicking as pressure grows to release it. That file must be devastating to Trump and others in his orbit.”
The Trump-O’Donnell saga, a bizarre mix of personal grudge, political symbolism, and celebrity warfare, shows no sign of cooling off—especially as legal, political, and cultural tensions around Trump continue to mount.