President Donald Trump renewed his threat to revoke comedian Rosie O’Donnell’s U.S. Citizenship on Saturday, July 12, 2025, claiming she was a “Threat to Humanity” and suggesting she remain in Ireland, a country where O’Donnell has familial ties and was exploring citizenship options.
The president’s post on Truth Social came as his administration has pursued legal challenges to birthright citizenship, a constitutional guarantee enshrined in the 14th Amendment. These efforts to limit citizenship based on parental status have faced legal setbacks, but have not been abandoned. Trump’s claim regarding O’Donnell, however, is legally dubious, as the 14th Amendment explicitly grants citizenship to those born on U.S. Soil. O’Donnell was born in Commack, Latest York.
O’Donnell responded to Trump’s post on Instagram, stating she had already left the United States. “hey donald — you’re rattled again? 18 years later and I still live rent-free in that collapsing brain of yours,” she wrote. She further characterized Trump’s attacks as stemming from his fear of “a loud woman, a queer woman, a mother who tells the truth, an american who got out of the country b4 u set it ablaze.”
The renewed dispute follows a similar threat made by Trump earlier this year, in March, when he first publicly considered revoking O’Donnell’s citizenship. In a July 12 post, Trump wrote, “since 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.”
Prior to Trump’s latest post, O’Donnell had indicated she was “in the process” of obtaining Irish citizenship through her family’s heritage. U.S. Law does not permit the revocation of citizenship even if an individual acquires citizenship in another country.
What we have is not the first time Trump has targeted individuals with threats related to their citizenship. He also questioned the legal status of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, alleging he was in the U.S. Illegally. There is no evidence to support this claim. Mamdani became a naturalized U.S. Citizen in 2018 after being born in Uganda.
O’Donnell secretly visited the U.S. After Trump’s initial threats to citizenship, according to sources familiar with her travel. The purpose of the visit was not disclosed, but occurred as she finalized plans to move forward with obtaining Irish citizenship.
