President Donald Trump has reignited a long-standing feud with comedian Rosie O’Donnell by suggesting he may consider revoking her citizenship. The comments were made on his Truth Social platform on March 15, 2024, where Trump stated he viewed O’Donnell as “not in the best interests of our Great Country.” He referred to her as “a Threat to Humanity” and suggested she should remain in Ireland if they would have her.
Legal experts have reacted strongly to Trump’s statement. Steve Vladeck, a CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at Georgetown Law, characterized the idea of “coercive expatriation” as “patently unconstitutional.” He explained that denaturalizing a U.S. citizen is an extremely rare and complex process, governed by strict legal standards. Vladeck noted that Congress has outlined very limited circumstances under which the executive branch can pursue such action, and the Supreme Court has established constitutional protections that ensure judicial review.
O’Donnell’s recent remarks may have triggered Trump’s comments. Last weekend, she posted a video on TikTok criticizing the Trump administration’s handling of the Texas floods, asserting that his policies had undermined governmental capabilities to respond effectively to the crisis. O’Donnell moved to Ireland shortly before Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, stating that the prospect of another Trump term influenced her decision. In an interview with CNN in April, she mentioned, “I knew after reading Project 2025 that if Trump got in, it was time for me and my nonbinary child to leave the country.”
Responding to Trump’s threat, O’Donnell took to Instagram, where she expressed her defiance: “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.” This exchange is the latest chapter in a feud that has persisted since 2006 when O’Donnell, then a co-host of “The View,” publicly criticized Trump. Over the years, Trump has labeled O’Donnell with various derogatory terms, including “a real loser” and “a pig.”
The ongoing clash between these two public figures highlights the contentious nature of political discourse in the United States. As the feud continues, both Trump and O’Donnell have remained vocal in their criticisms of each other, drawing attention to broader societal divisions.
