Former President Donald Trump has renewed his long-running feud with actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, suggesting he is giving “serious thought” to revoking her American citizenship – a move the Constitution makes impossible.
Trump Renews Citizenship Threat
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump wrote that he was weighing the idea of stripping O’Donnell’s U.S. citizenship, calling her “not a Great American” and claiming she was “incapable” of becoming one. The statement mirrors remarks he made in July, when he argued O’Donnell was “a threat to humanity” and “not in the best interests of our Great Country.”
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While Trump has made similar threats in the past, the Constitution clearly bars any president from revoking the citizenship of individuals born in the United States. The 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, and O’Donnell was born in Commack, New York.
O’Donnell’s Response
O’Donnell has often pushed back against Trump’s comments. In July, she likened him to King Joffrey, a notorious character from Game of Thrones, mocking his appearance and declaring, “I’m not yours to silence — I never was.”
Earlier this year, the actress relocated to Ireland with her daughter, citing the political climate following Trump’s electoral victory. She is in the process of becoming a dual citizen. “When it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back,” O’Donnell said in a TikTok video.
A Feud Dating Back Two Decades
Trump’s conflict with O’Donnell dates back to 2006, when she criticized his handling of a Miss USA controversy while co-hosting The View. Their exchanges have escalated repeatedly over the years.
During a Republican primary debate in 2015, when asked about derogatory comments he had made toward women, Trump famously replied, “Only Rosie O’Donnell.”
The feud has occasionally drawn in others. In March, during an exchange with Ireland’s prime minister at the White House, Trump interrupted a reporter’s question about O’Donnell, saying: “Do you know who she is? You’re better off not knowing.”
Recent Controversy
O’Donnell also faced backlash last month after a video she posted following a Minneapolis school shooting wrongly identified the gunman as a White supremacist and MAGA supporter. She later deleted the post and issued an apology. “The truth is I messed up, and when you mess up, you fess up,” she said.
Legal Reality
Despite Trump’s repeated threats, constitutional scholars note that a U.S. president has no authority to revoke citizenship. The only way an American citizen can lose nationality is by voluntarily renouncing it.
For O’Donnell, the dispute appears to be another chapter in a bitter rivalry that shows no signs of ending – one that has become a recurring theme in Trump’s political and public life.
