President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to revoke the US citizenship of actress and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, escalating a personal feud into a constitutional showdown that legal experts say is unprecedented and legally impossible.
“She is a Threat to Humanity,” Trump declared on Truth Social during the early hours of July 12. “Let her stay in Ireland, if they’ll even have her.” He claimed he was giving “serious consideration” to revoking her US citizenship, a statement that immediately drew rebuke from across the political and legal spectrum.
According to Axios, Trump’s statement was posted and immediately began trending across social media platforms. This latest flare-up followed Rosie O’Donnell’s harsh criticism of the Trump administration’s disaster response to the deadly Texas floods, which killed more than 120 people and have been linked to reduced federal funding for emergency preparedness.
Reuters independently confirmed the timing and content of Trump’s post, emphasizing that the president’s language was “extraordinarily aggressive even by his standards.” The news agency noted that this marks the first time in modern US history that a sitting president has publicly considered stripping the citizenship of a celebrity critic born on American soil.
Legal experts swiftly pushed back. The Hill quoted Harvard constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe, who stated, “This is not North Korea. The president cannot strip an American citizen of her birthright simply because he doesn’t like what she says.” Tribe noted that Rosie O’Donnell, born in Commack, New York in 1962, is a natural-born citizen and protected under the 14th Amendment.
Further legal scrutiny was outlined in Politico, which detailed how the Supreme Court’s decision in Afroyim v. Rusk (1967) prevents the federal government from revoking a person’s citizenship without their consent. “This kind of rhetoric is legally hollow but politically toxic,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Berkeley School of Law.
Rosie O’Donnell responded with defiance. In a video posted to her Instagram account, she said, “This evil man-child wants to deport me for telling the truth? I’m not afraid. I’m not leaving. This is my country too.” Her message quickly gained traction, with hashtags like #RosieODonnell and #IStandWithRosie trending globally. Variety covered her response, noting that she has no official ties to Ireland and holds only US citizenship despite her Irish ancestry.
The American Civil Liberties Union released a formal statement denouncing Trump’s remarks as “a brazen attack on free speech and democratic dissent.” Legal observers underscored the seriousness of presidential rhetoric suggesting punitive action for criticism.
This is not the first time Trump and O’Donnell have clashed. Their feud dates back to 2006 when O’Donnell criticized Trump’s decision to allow Miss USA Tara Conner to retain her crown amid controversy. Trump retaliated with personal insults, labeling her a “real dummy” and “a loser.” That clash has simmered for nearly two decades and now returns under far graver circumstances.
The latest conflict arrives amid heightened political tension as the 2026 US midterm elections approach. Analysts argue that Trump’s inflammatory comments serve dual goals: mobilizing his base and distracting from widespread criticism over his administration’s response to natural disasters. Advocacy groups warn that invoking threats of citizenship revocation could normalize executive overreach.
Rosie O’Donnell, undeterred by the backlash, concluded her Instagram message with a quote from Maya Angelou: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
