President Donald Trump is once again stirring the pot, this time eyeing the unthinkable: stripping Rosie O’Donnell’s U.S. citizenship, as the New York Post reports. His Wednesday announcement on Truth Social reignited a nearly two-decade feud with the actress, but the Constitution stands firmly in his way. This latest salvo proves the MAGA firebrand isn’t afraid to swing, even if the punch can’t legally land.
Trump’s threat to revoke O’Donnell’s citizenship stems from a long-simmering personal grudge, now fueled by her recent missteps. The president claims O’Donnell is “not in the best interests of our Great Country,” a charge he first leveled in July. Such rhetoric may thrill his base, but it’s a legal nonstarter for a native-born citizen like O’Donnell.
Born in Commack, New York, O’Donnell is shielded by the 14th Amendment, which grants unbreakable citizenship to those born on U.S. soil. Trump’s bluster about stripping it ignores this bedrock principle. It’s a classic case of the president’s flair for drama clashing with constitutional reality.
The Trump-O’Donnell saga kicked off in 2006 when O’Donnell, then a co-host on The View, slammed Trump’s decision to spare a controversy-plagued Miss USA winner. Her sharp critique set the tone for years of public spats. Trump’s knack for holding grudges hasn’t let this one fade.
In 2015, during a Republican primary debate, Trump deflected a question about his past derogatory remarks toward women with a quip: “Only Rosie O’Donnell.” The line drew laughs but underscored the personal nature of their conflict. It’s a feud that thrives on spectacle, not substance.
O’Donnell, never one to back down, has kept the feud alive with her own barbs. Her July response to Trump’s citizenship threat -- “Go ahead and try, king joffrey with a tangerine spray tan” -- was vintage Rosie, defiant and theatrical. Yet her move to Ireland earlier this year suggests she’s more rattled than her bravado lets on.
Citing America’s “political climate,” O’Donnell relocated to Ireland with her daughter after Trump’s electoral victory. She’s now pursuing Irish citizenship through her grandparents’ heritage, aiming for dual citizenship. It’s a move that screams discontent with the MAGA era, though it doesn’t justify Trump’s threats.
Trump couldn’t resist a jab during a March White House visit from Ireland’s prime minister, quipping that the leader was “better off not knowing” who O’Donnell was. The comment was petty but predictable. This feud thrives on such low-stakes sniping, much to the delight of social media onlookers.
O’Donnell’s recent misstep, however, gave Trump fresh ammunition. After a tragic Minneapolis Catholic school shooting that killed two children and injured over a dozen, she posted a video falsely claiming the shooter was a “MAGA person” and “white supremacist.” The reckless post, quickly deleted, handed Trump a golden opportunity to pounce.
O’Donnell later apologized, admitting she “did not do my due diligence” before making “incorrect” claims about the shooter. “I messed up, and when you mess up, you fess up,” she said in a follow-up video. But the damage was done, fueling Trump’s narrative that she’s a liability to the nation.
Her apology, while sincere, doesn’t erase the harm of her initial rush to judgment. Smearing an unverified shooter as a MAGA supporter plays into the divisive, woke narrative that paints conservatives as villains. It’s the kind of knee-jerk activism that alienates everyday Americans.
Trump’s response, though, is equally overblown. Calling O’Donnell a “Threat to Humanity” is the kind of hyperbole that undermines his own credibility. It’s a distraction from real issues, like securing borders or curbing progressive overreach, that his base cares about.
The president’s fixation on O’Donnell’s citizenship is a legal dead end. The 14th Amendment is crystal clear: native-born citizens like O’Donnell can’t have their status revoked, no matter how much they irk the commander in chief. Trump’s threats are more about rallying his supporters than changing policy.
O’Donnell’s move to Ireland and her pursuit of dual citizenship don’t help her case in the court of public opinion. To many MAGA faithful, it looks like she’s abandoning ship while lobbing insults from afar. Still, her right to U.S. citizenship remains ironclad, no matter how loudly Trump protests.
This feud is less about policy and more about two outsized personalities refusing to back down. Trump’s threats and O’Donnell’s provocations feed a cycle of outrage that distracts from America’s real challenges. It’s a sideshow, but one that keeps the culture war’s flames burning bright.
