Threat to humanity: Trump threatens to revoke Rosie O’Donnell’s US citizenship

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he may revoke talk show host Rosie O’Donnell’s citizenship following her criticism of his administration’s response to the deadly Texas floods, escalating the long-running feud between the two public figures.

“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,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. He referenced a deportation argument similar to one used by his administration against foreign-born protesters.

“She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” he added.

Trump’s remarks appeared to be a direct reaction to a TikTok video O’Donnell released earlier this month. In the video, she grieved the 119 lives lost during the July 4 floods in Texas and criticised the Trump administration for previously slashing funds to government agencies responsible for environmental monitoring and disaster forecasting.

“What a horror story in Texas,” O’Donnell said in the video. “And you know, when the president guts all the early warning systems and the weather forecast abilities of the government, these are the results that we’re gonna start to see on a daily basis.”

The Trump administration, along with state and local officials, has come under growing scrutiny over whether more preventive actions could have been taken ahead of the devastating flash floods, which struck during the early hours of Independence Day and killed at least 120 people, including several children.

Trump visited Texas on Friday and defended the federal response, stating his agencies “did an incredible job under the circumstances.”

However, under US law, a president does not have the authority to revoke the citizenship of a natural-born American. Rosie O’Donnell was born in New York. Despite this, O’Donnell relocated to Ireland earlier this year with her 12-year-old son, citing safety concerns for marginalized groups in America.

In a March TikTok video, she said she would consider returning to the US “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America.”

O’Donnell responded to Trump’s latest comments in two Instagram posts, asserting that his animosity stems from the fact that she “stands in direct opposition with all he represents.”

Their public feud began in 2006 when O’Donnell, then a host on The View, mocked Trump’s handling of a scandal involving a Miss USA pageant winner, a contest Trump then owned.

– Ends

With inputs from Reuters

Tune In