Trump Reignites Feud with Threat to Revoke Rosie O’Donnell’s U.S. Citizenship

Washington, D.C. — July 12, 2025. Former President Donald Trump has escalated his twenty-year public battle with comedian and actress Rosie O’Donnell by threatening to strip her of her U.S. citizenship. Trump posted on Truth Social:

“Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship… She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her.” Facebook+14Politico+14AP News+14

💥 The Latest Blowback

• O’Donnell has lived in Ireland since January, soon after Trump began his second term, citing concerns for her mental health and her autistic child CBS News+4AP News+4The Sun+4.

• In response, she took to Instagram and TikTok, calling Trump a “criminal con man sexual abusing liar” and “a dangerous old soulless man…” New York Post+6People.com+6NBC Chicago+6.

• Social media posts included a striking image of Trump with Jeffrey Epstein, accompanied by O’Donnell’s defiant message: “You want to revoke my citizenship? Go ahead and try… I’m not yours to silence.” AP News+12The Daily Beast+12The Independent+12

🏛️ The Legal Impossibility

Legal experts and historical rulings make clear: Trump has no legal path to remove O’Donnell’s citizenship.

• Under Supreme Court precedent (1967) and the 14th Amendment, citizenship by birth cannot be revoked by presidential decree PoliticoAP News+1CBS News+1.

• UVA Law Professor Amanda Frost emphasized, “The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native‑born U.S. citizen.” Sky News+2AP News+2CBS News+2.

• The State Department confirms that only voluntary renunciation—not involuntary strip—can end citizenship PBS+10AP News+10Politico+10.

⚙️ Broader Context

• This is not Trump’s first threat: he previously floated stripping Elon Musk (a naturalized citizen) and Zohran Mamdani (another critic) of their citizenship PBS+9AP News+9Al Jazeera+9.

• It follows his broader agenda, including a bid to roll back birthright citizenship—a move currently blocked by federal courts Politico.

• Some analysts argue these threats are political signaling aimed at intimidating opponents by weaponizing citizenship debates .

✅ Final Take

While Trump’s rhetoric stirred headlines, both constitutional law and existing judicial rulings firmly block any such action. O’Donnell remains fully protected under the Fourteenth Amendment. Still, the episode starkly illustrates how foundational legal principles like citizenship can become tools in political theater—and prolonged personal feuds.