The long-running feud between the Emmy-winning comedian and the US president reignited after O’Donnell criticised the Trump administration’s response to the Texas floods, specifically its handling of weather forecasting agencies.
Trump, posting on his Truth Social platform, escalated matters by branding her ‘a threat to humanity’ and saying she "should remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her."
O’Donnell, who relocated to Ireland earlier this year with her 12-year-old child, appeared unbothered by the remarks. O’Donnell responded on Instagram by posting a photograph of Mr Trump with Jeffrey Epstein.
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Speaking on Sunday with Miriam on RTÉ Radio 1, she said a friend alerted her to Trump’s comments just as she was settling in to watch Wimbledon.
"I reacted with a little post that I jotted off in five minutes, and that’s been getting a lot of attention online," she said.
"I am very proud to be opposed to every single thing he says and does and represents."
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She also noted that she’s far from alone in being on the receiving end of Trump’s online outbursts: "There’s a long list of celebrities he’s threatened, including Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Mark Ruffalo.
"There are activists, artists who have always spoken out in their lives and careers. It’s part of their public persona and their essence, and he’s against all of us.
"So, I didn’t take it personally, but I will tell you the way that he is has emboldened people like him."
Rosie O'Donnell via TikTok.
Asked why she thinks she gets under Trump’s skin, O’Donnell pointed to their shared roots.
‘Well, I think it’s because we grew up in the same area… I think I remind him of all the kids at school who never liked him. I’m a tough New York tomboy girl – and I think his crap never flew with me or New Yorkers."
While Trump may have implied otherwise, under US law, a president cannot revoke the citizenship of someone born in the United States, and O’Donnell was born in New York.
The comedian, who is currently in the process of applying for Irish citizenship, said her move was about protecting her mental health and being the best parent she can be.
"I needed to keep myself healthy and alive and mentally stable enough to raise an autistic child," she explained.
"And that’s the reason I left. I left because I love the United States of America, not because I don’t. I love democracy and what it stands for. I love the Constitution.
"I love what our founding fathers represented and made in this world as a beacon of hope and freedom for the rest of the world."
She continued: "Now, there are many problems with the United States. The fact that we think we can butt into every other country’s business and change regimes – you know, we have made tremendous mistakes as a country.
"But until we own what is true about our country and ourselves, we’re never going to be able to move forward, and until we own what is true about Donald Trump."
* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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