White House Fires Back at Rosie O’Donnell After Trump Criticism

The long-running feud between Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell has flared up again after the comedian used her guest-hosting stint on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to deliver a series of sharp attacks on the president.

O’Donnell ended her temporary run on the ABC late-night show Thursday with a song aimed directly at Trump, set to the familiar tune of “Danny Boy.” Before performing it, she introduced herself as “nasty Rosie O’Donnell” and referred to Trump as “orange Voldemort.”

Her song mocked Trump’s appearance, his controversial ballroom project and his handling of Iran. She ended with a direct message: Trump should resign.

“Why not resign and make this country great again?” she sang.

The White House responded with an equally blunt attack. Davis Ingle, a White House representative, told Entertainment Weekly that O’Donnell is “a nasty woman and a total slob” whose “brain has been completely destroyed by Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

The exchange is the latest chapter in a feud that stretches back roughly two decades. Trump and O’Donnell began publicly clashing during her first stint as a co-host of The View in 2006 and 2007. Trump later attacked her during his 2016 presidential campaign, including remarks that became one of the more controversial moments of that election.

During her guest-hosting appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, O’Donnell repeatedly returned to Trump in her monologues. She has suggested that Trump watches the show and is aware of her nightly criticism.

O’Donnell moved to Ireland before Trump’s second inauguration in early 2025. She returned to the United States this summer for her one-woman New York City show, Common Knowledge, and then joined Kimmel as a guest host.

Her return to late-night television has fueled speculation that she could make a permanent comeback. O’Donnell has denied that she plans to take over Jimmy Kimmel Live!, but she has said she is considering a future television project on a streaming platform.

In a recent interview on the Tangle podcast, O’Donnell said she would prefer to begin such a project after Trump is no longer in power, describing that point as a time when “the healing must begin.”

Despite the political backlash, her return has attracted support from fellow entertainers. O’Donnell said earlier this week that legendary singer and actress Barbra Streisand, whom she considers an idol, sent her a supportive message praising her performances on Kimmel’s show.

For now, O’Donnell appears to be keeping her television comeback plans open while continuing to use comedy as a platform for her opposition to Trump.