White House Hails Rosie O’Donnell’s Irish Citizenship Bid as ‘Great News for America’ Amid Trump Feud

In a sharp, sarcastic jab that has ignited social media and late-night commentary, the White House declared comedian Rosie O’Donnell’s application for Irish citizenship as “great news for America.” The remark from spokesperson Abigail Jackson, delivered to Fox News Digital, underscores the escalating personal and political rift between O’Donnell and President Donald Trump, which dates back nearly two decades.

O’Donnell, 63, revealed her citizenship pursuit in a recent interview with the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph while in Australia for live shows at the Sydney Opera House. “I am applying and about to be approved for my Irish citizenship, as my grandparents were from there and that’s all you need,” she said. “It will be good to have my Irish citizenship, especially since Trump keeps threatening to take away mine.” Eligible through descent—her father immigrated from County Donegal—O’Donnell has no plans to return to the U.S., viewing her move as a safeguard for “safety and sanity” amid what she calls America’s slide toward “fascism” and “Christian white nationalism.”

The comedian’s self-imposed exile began in January 2025, shortly after Trump’s second inauguration, when she relocated to Dublin with her 12-year-old daughter Dakota. She cited political turmoil and lost her Malibu home to California wildfires as catalysts, but her outspoken criticism of Trump has fueled the narrative. In a TikTok post, O’Donnell stated she would only consider returning “when it’s safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America.”

Trump’s animosity traces to 2006, when O’Donnell, then co-host of The View, labeled him a “snake-oil salesman” amid his Miss USA pageant ownership and personal scandals. The feud intensified post-2024 election. In March, during Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin’s White House visit, a MAGA reporter quipped, “Why in the world would you let Rosie O’Donnell move to Ireland?” Trump interjected: “You’re better off not knowing.” O’Donnell later apologized to Martin on Ireland’s Late Late Show for the disrespect shown to a foreign leader.

Tensions peaked in July when 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.” He renewed threats in September, calling her “not a Great American.” O’Donnell fired back on Instagram: “You call me a threat to humanity—but I’m everything you fear: a loud woman, a queer woman, a mother who tells the truth.”