Trump’s declaration that he’s “seriously considering” revoking Rosie O’Donnell’s U.S. citizenship has ignited a constitutional firestorm, leaving millions wondering if a president can actually erase a celebrity critic’s birthright because he doesn’t like her tweets.
Trump’s Threats Collide With Constitutional Reality
Donald Trump, never one to shy away from a media brawl, reignited his long-running feud with Rosie O’Donnell by turning up the volume to eleven: on July 12, 2025, he took to his own social media platform to announce he was “giving serious consideration” to stripping O’Donnell of her U.S. citizenship. His justification? He declared her “not in the best interests of our Great Country” and a “Threat to Humanity,” referencing her recent relocation to Ireland as if buying a one-way ticket across the Atlantic suddenly voids your American birth certificate. For those keeping score at home, this is the latest in a series of rhetorical grenades Trump has lobbed at critics—he’s previously threatened public figures like Elon Musk and New York politicians with similar citizenship revocations, as if the Constitution is just another reality show contract he can tear up when the ratings dip.
Rosie O’Donnell, never one to bite her tongue, unleashed a barrage of her own on social media, labeling Trump a “criminal con man” and a “dangerous old soulless man with dementia who lacks empathy compassion and basic humanity.” She doubled down, stating, “I stand in direct opposition [to] all he represents—so do millions of others.” Her recent move to Ireland was, by her account, motivated directly by Trump’s policies and leadership. While Trump’s loyal base may find his rhetoric cathartic, legal experts and constitutional scholars rushed to remind everyone that the president does not, in fact, have the power to revoke the citizenship of a native-born American—no matter how much he might want to.
Legal Experts, Media, and the Constitution: The Brick Wall
The Constitution, specifically the 14th Amendment, guarantees that citizenship cannot be revoked by presidential fiat. Amanda Frost of the University of Virginia School of Law cut straight to the chase: “The president lacks the power to rescind the citizenship of a native-born US citizen. In essence, we are a nation built on the concept that the populace elects the government; the government does not have the right to select its citizens.” There’s no precedent, legal avenue, or magical executive order that gives any president—Trump included—the authority to erase someone’s citizenship because he doesn’t like their politics or their punchlines. As much as some would love to see Hollywood elites pack their bags and head for foreign shores, the Constitution is not interested in scoring cable news ratings or winning Twitter wars.
Looks like Rosie has responded to Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/ROHG2FWOe6
— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) July 12, 2025
Major media outlets from CBS News to Axios, DW, Politico, and Time quickly echoed this consensus, making it abundantly clear: Trump’s threat is as legally toothless as it is headline-grabbing. Even during Trump’s previous administration, when denaturalization policies were ramped up for naturalized citizens convicted of fraud, there was no legal mechanism for targeting native-born Americans, much less for political dissent. The judiciary, not the president, is the ultimate authority on citizenship rights, and there simply is no constitutional path for what Trump is proposing.
The Real Stakes: Free Speech, Abuse of Power, and Public Trust
This dust-up is about more than just two celebrities trading insults. It’s a crystal-clear example of the stakes when presidential rhetoric starts bleeding into threats against constitutional rights. While the legal system serves as a bulwark against this kind of overreach, every time a president even toys with the idea of stripping citizenship for political reasons, it chips away at public trust and inflames partisan divides. Critics warn that this kind of talk, even if unenforceable, can have a chilling effect on dissent and embolden future leaders to push the envelope further.
Trump sings Rosie O’Donnell a lullaby! 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/GKxnaBsvoq
— Trump Girl (@TrumpGirlLove) July 4, 2025
The incident has amplified O’Donnell’s status as a leading Trump critic and injected fresh urgency into debates on the boundaries of executive power. Meanwhile, legal experts continue to educate the public: citizenship is not a privilege that can be revoked by presidential whim, but an irrevocable right for those born on American soil. The general public, already battered by years of political drama, inflation, and government overreach, is left to watch as their leaders spar over basic constitutional principles—principles that, until recently, seemed immune to reality TV theatrics.
Sources:
CBS News: Trump threatens to revoke Rosie O’Donnell’s citizenship
Axios: Trump considers revoking O’Donnell’s citizenship
DW: Can Trump revoke Rosie O’Donnell’s citizenship?
Politico: Trump threatens to revoke O’Donnell’s citizenship
Time: Trump threatens O’Donnell’s citizenship