President Donald Trump has dropped a bombshell by threatening to strip citizenship from Rosie O’Donnell. This bold move, shared on Truth Social over the weekend, has reignited a fiery feud and raised eyebrows about the boundaries of presidential power.
Trump’s latest salvo against O’Donnell, an actor and comedian, marks a dramatic escalation in his approach to using citizenship as a political lever, with no clear legal path to make good on such a threat against a native-born American from New York, Politico reported.
Their clash began in 2006 on The View, when O’Donnell challenged Trump’s moral compass and ignited a feud that has simmered for nearly two decades. By 2015, during a Republican primary debate, Trump fired back, claiming his sharp words for women applied to “only Rosie O’Donnell.” That jab landed harder than a reality TV finale, and their bad blood still hasn’t cooled.
Trump’s track record on citizenship issues adds context to this latest dust-up. His administration has pushed mass deportations and even issued an executive order in January to limit birthright citizenship, requiring at least one parent to be a citizen or permanent resident. That order, by the way, just got slapped down by a federal judge in New Hampshire following a Supreme Court nudge.
Beyond that, the administration has explored denaturalization for certain naturalized citizens who’ve run afoul of specific laws, per a memo from Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate dated June 11. Trump has also cast doubt on the citizenship of other political foes, like New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani, a naturalized citizen. It’s a pattern—question loyalty, challenge status, rinse, repeat.
Now, enter Rosie O’Donnell, who’s been living in Ireland since mid-January with her 12-year-old child, having fled after Trump’s second electoral win. She’s even eyeing Irish citizenship through her grandparents’ lineage. Seems like she saw the writing on the wall and packed her bags before the ink dried.
O’Donnell hasn’t exactly gone quiet across the Atlantic, blasting Trump on social media for everything from policy failures to personal flaws. Last week, she pinned deadly Texas flash floods on his cuts to early warning systems, saying on TikTok, “these are the results.” Turns out, distance doesn’t dull a sharp tongue, but it might just fuel a sharper response.
In another post on Instagram, O’Donnell called Trump a “dangerous old soulless man” lacking empathy. That’s not exactly a love letter, and it’s no surprise Trump fired back with a Truth Social post declaring her a “Threat to Humanity.”
Trump’s full statement didn’t mince words either, stating on Truth Social that he’s giving “serious consideration” to revoking her citizenship since she’s not in the “best interests” of America. He even suggested Ireland might keep her, with a parting “GOD BLESS AMERICA!” It’s classic Trump—patriotism with a side of pettiness, though the White House stayed mum on whether this is a real plan or just digital saber-rattling.
Legally, though, this threat seems more bark than bite—there’s no obvious mechanism to strip a born-and-bred American of citizenship. O’Donnell, born in New York, isn’t a naturalized citizen whose status could be reviewed under existing denaturalization policies. It’s a head-scratcher, but in Trump’s world, the impossible often becomes a talking point.
During his first term, O’Donnell openly expressed fear about surviving his presidency—a concern she has repeated since she moved abroad. In a March TikTok post, she vowed she wouldn’t return until America guarantees “equal rights” for all citizens. That’s a tall order, and she clearly expects to stay in the Emerald Isle for a while.
Her criticism hasn’t let up, with Instagram posts urging to “deport all who stand against” Trump’s darker impulses. It’s a provocative stance, but framing dissent as a national security issue is a risky game for both sides. When citizenship becomes a political football, everyone’s on shaky ground.
This isn’t just a personal spat—it reveals how far Trump is willing to push executive power to reshape America’s identity. He challenges birthright citizenship and targets critics like O’Donnell to send a clear message: loyalty counts, and dissent carries consequences. We must ask ourselves—where will he draw the line?
Conservatives may view this as Trump taking a stand against Hollywood elites who mock traditional values and national pride. Yet even his supporters, who applaud his tough rhetoric, may find the idea of revoking citizenship over criticism goes too far. True patriotism demands we protect, not silence, even the loudest voices.
Ultimately, this feud with O’Donnell underscores a deeper divide about who gets to call themselves American in today’s charged climate. While Trump’s supporters might relish seeing a vocal critic face consequences, the legal and moral questions linger like a storm cloud.
