On Saturday, July 12, 2025, President Donald Trump reignited his long-standing feud with comedian Rosie O'Donnell by posting a provocative message on Truth Social, where he stated he was "giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship." Trump described O'Donnell as "not in the best interests of our Great Country" and went further to call her a "Threat to Humanity," suggesting she should remain in Ireland, where she currently resides.
Trump's post read: "Because of the fact that Rosie O'Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship. She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA!" This marked a sharp escalation in the public spat between the two, which dates back nearly two decades.
O'Donnell, a New York-born actor and comedian with Irish-American heritage, responded swiftly on Instagram. She shared Trump's post and fired back with a scathing message, calling him "a criminal con man sexual abusing liar out to harm our nation to serve himself." She added, "This is why I moved to Ireland – he is a dangerous old soulless man with dementia who lacks empathy compassion and basic humanity – I stand in direct opposition all he represents – so do millions of others."
In a follow-up post, O'Donnell shared a photo of Trump alongside Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier convicted of sex trafficking minors who died in 2019 under controversial circumstances. She taunted Trump, writing, "Hey Donald – you’re rattled again? 18 years later and I still live rent-free in that collapsing brain of yours."
She continued her rebuttal by embracing the characteristics Trump despises: "You call me a threat to humanity – but I’m everything you fear: a loud woman a queer woman a mother who tells the truth an American who got out of the country before you set it ablaze." O'Donnell highlighted her new life in Ireland, where she is raising her autistic child, saying, "You build walls – I build a life for my autistic kid in a country where decency still exists. You crave loyalty – I teach my children to question power. You sell fear on golf courses – I make art about surviving trauma. You lie, you steal, you degrade – I nurture, I create, I persist." She concluded by challenging Trump, "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."
O'Donnell's departure from the United States was announced earlier in 2025. In March, she revealed she had relocated to Ireland on January 15 with her 12-year-old child, citing the toxic political climate following Trump's re-election. On TikTok, she explained, "When it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back." She also shared that she was in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship through her grandparents.
Her move was motivated by a desire to escape what she described as a political environment that had become "worse than we expected." She remarked on feeling "healthier and sleeping better" since moving, away from the stress and anxiety caused by the political turmoil in the U.S.
The feud between Trump and O'Donnell is one of the most enduring in American celebrity and political culture. It began in 2006 during O'Donnell's tenure as co-host of ABC's "The View," when she criticized Trump’s business ethics and personal conduct, calling him a "snake-oil salesman" in relation to a scandal involving former Miss USA Tara Conner. Trump responded with insults over the years, famously singling her out during a 2015 Republican primary debate when asked about his derogatory comments toward women, replying, "Only Rosie O'Donnell."
Trump's recent post comes amid his administration's broader efforts to limit citizenship pathways. Earlier in 2025, he issued an executive order aiming to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents, a move blocked by a federal judge in New Hampshire for constitutional reasons. The administration has also prioritized denaturalization proceedings against naturalized citizens accused of certain crimes.
However, legal experts emphasize that birthright citizenship, protected under the 14th Amendment, cannot be revoked by executive order or presidential decree. O'Donnell, born in the U.S., enjoys this constitutional protection, making Trump's threat largely symbolic rather than legally actionable.
O'Donnell has remained vocal about her criticisms of Trump’s policies and leadership. Just days before Trump’s post, she blamed his administration for the deadly floods in Texas, which claimed over 120 lives, asserting that cuts to the government's early warning and weather forecasting systems contributed to the disaster.
Her TikTok video on the subject stated, "When the president guts all of the early warning systems and the weathering forecast abilities of the government, these are the results that we’re going to start to see on a daily basis." This pointed to broader concerns about the administration's handling of climate-related and emergency preparedness issues.
Trump's aggressive rhetoric toward O'Donnell is part of a larger pattern of targeting critics and dissenting voices. Despite signing an executive order pledging not to suppress free speech, his administration has barred certain journalists from the White House and proposed legal actions against media outlets critical of its policies.
The ongoing conflict between Trump and O'Donnell illustrates the deep political and cultural divisions in the United States today. While Trump's comments have energized his supporters, they have also drawn criticism for undermining democratic norms and the rule of law.
As the feud continues, O'Donnell's stance remains defiant, embodying a broader resistance to Trump’s vision of America. Whether this battle over citizenship and free speech will escalate further remains to be seen, but for now, it serves as a vivid example of the contentious and polarized political landscape in 2025.
