On July 12th, local time, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he might deprive stand-up comedian O’Donnell of his American citizenship due to his criticism of the government’s layoffs at meteorological forecasting agencies following a deadly flood in Texas. According to Reuters, this marks the latest escalation in their years-long dispute on social media.
“O’Donnell does not represent the best interests of our great nation, and I am seriously considering stripping her of her citizenship,” Trump wrote on the “Reality Social” platform. “She is a threat to humanity; if they want her, she should stay in the beautiful country of Ireland.” Trump added.
Under current U.S. law, the president cannot revoke the citizenship of Americans born in the United States. O’Donnell was born in New York State.
For a long time, O’Donnell has been a target of Trump’s abuse and attacks. A few months ago, after Trump’s second term began, she moved with her son, who is just one year old, to Ireland. In a video posted in June, she stated that she would only return to the United States “when all citizens enjoy equal rights and safety in America.”
O’Donnell responded to Trump’s threats by posting two messages on her account. She accused Trump of attacking her because she “directly opposes everything he represents.”
The report indicates that Trump’s attacks on O’Donnell date back to 2017 when she was a comedian and host on the “View” show. Trump’s latest attack seems to be in response to a video released by O’Donnell this month, which mourns the deaths of people in Texas from the flood on April 25th and accuses Trump of widely cutting funding for environmental and scientific institutions involved in predicting major natural disasters.
In the video, O’Donnell said, “What happened in Texas is such a terrifying story. You know, when the president abolishes all warning systems and government weather forecasting capabilities, these are the results we see every day.”
On July 1st, Trump visited Texas and defended the government’s response to the disaster, stating that the federal government “has done an incredible job.”