A feud that started in 2006 shows no signs of fading, as comedian Rosie O’Donnell continues to take public shots at President Trump from her new home in Ireland — most recently in a video that has drawn significant views.
Two Decades of Public Sparring
The animosity began when O’Donnell, then a co-host on “The View,” criticized Trump during a Hot Topics segment over his response to a controversy involving Miss USA winner Tara Conner. Trump hit back by labeling her “a woman out of control,” and the two have been exchanging barbs ever since.
In a previous interview, O’Donnell said she remains genuinely surprised by the longevity of the feud. “He’s been doing it for two decades, and I’m still not used to it every time he does,” she said, adding that the president “sort of uses me as a punchline whenever he feels the need.”
The president ramped things up when he wrote on social media that the administration was “giving serious thought to taking away Rosie O’Donnell’s Citizenship.” He called her “a Threat to Humanity” who “should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland.” O’Donnell responded with her trademark defiance, daring the administration to try.
Life in Ireland and Quiet Returns
O’Donnell relocated to Dublin shortly before Trump was inaugurated, and has continued to comment on American politics from abroad. She said the move has improved her well-being. “It’s not easy to move to another country, and we really felt as a family this was the safest and best thing for us to do,” she said, adding that she has been “sleeping better without the stress and anxiety over what was happening politically in the country.”
She is raising her youngest child, Clay, in Ireland and is also pursuing Irish citizenship. Despite vowing not to return to the United States while Trump is in office, O’Donnell has quietly made the trip twice—once for a low-profile visit to assess travel logistics given the president’s threats to revoke her citizenship, and once to meet her newborn grandson.
The president weighed in during Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin’s St. Patrick’s Day visit to the White House when a reporter asked Martin about O’Donnell’s relocation to Ireland. Trump joked that the Irish leader was “better off” not knowing who she was.
Iran Strikes and an Impeachment Hashtag
The feud took a sharper turn when O’Donnell publicly criticized the president over U.S. military action against Iran. After U.S. and Israeli forces carried out airstrikes targeting the country, and Trump announced that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed, O’Donnell went on the offensive.
She shared a pointed post contrasting the strikes with Trump’s campaign promises to avoid new wars, captioning it, “He lies only and always #impeachtrump.” The post paired two of Trump’s own campaign statements, including his pledge, “I’m not going to start a war, I’m going to stop wars.”
Trying — and Failing — to Log Off
Even O’Donnell has acknowledged that the constant online sparring takes a toll. In a recent interview discussing her habits, she revealed that a longtime friend urged her to “detach” and “disconnect” from social media. The cleanse lasted only hours. A follow-up plan to stay offline for several days also ended early.
The trigger that time was Trump’s exchange with a reporter, during which he made a disparaging remark. For O’Donnell, staying silent simply wasn’t an option.
With both figures showing no interest in stepping away from their respective megaphones, the O’Donnell–Trump dynamic looks set to keep generating headlines. As O’Donnell herself put it, after two decades, she’s still not used to it — but she’s also not going anywhere.
