After moving to Ireland following President Donald Trump’s re-election, longtime Trump critic Rosie O’Donnell has quietly returned to the United States — at least temporarily.
In a recent interview with Chris Cuomo on “SiriusXM’s Cuomo Mornings,” the 63-year-old actress revealed she spent two weeks back home visiting family. O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her teenage daughter in January 2025, just ahead of President Trump’s second inauguration, citing political concerns at the time.
“I was recently home for two weeks, and I did not really tell anyone,” she told Cuomo. “I just went to see my family. I wanted to see how hard it would be for me to get in and out of the country. I wanted to feel what it felt like. I wanted to hold my children again. And I hadn’t been home in over a year.”
O’Donnell said she wanted to ensure “that it was safe” for her and her daughter to return over the summer so they could spend time with family during her daughter’s school break.
During the interview, O’Donnell described the United States as feeling “like a very different country” since her move — in part, she said, because she has stopped following American news and pop culture.
“I’ve been in a place where celebrity worship does not exist,” she explained. “I’ve been in a place where there’s more balance to the news. There’s more balance to life. It’s not everyone trying to get more, more, more. It’s a very different culture. And I felt the United States in a completely different way than I ever had before I left.”
She added that she does not regret her decision to leave, saying she did “what I needed to do to save myself, my child and my sanity.”
“And I’m very happy that I’m not in the midst of it there because the energy that I felt while in the United States was — if I could use the most simple word I can think of — it was scary,” she said. “There’s a feeling that something is really wrong, and no one is doing anything about it.”
A Two-Decade Feud
O’Donnell’s political activism — and her long-running feud with President Trump — dates back nearly 20 years. The public sparring began during her time on “The View,” when she criticized Trump’s business record and public persona. Since then, the two have frequently traded barbs.
In an earlier interview with the Irish radio show “Sunday with Miriam,” O’Donnell claimed, “He uses me as a punching bag and a way to sort of rile his base.”
For many conservatives, however, O’Donnell has long embodied the Hollywood elite’s reflexive hostility toward Trump and the voters who support him — a dynamic that intensified during both of Trump’s terms.
Citizenship Controversy
After relocating abroad, O’Donnell announced she was pursuing Irish citizenship. In an October 2025 interview with the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph, she said she hoped to obtain dual citizenship.
At the time, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded to the news, telling Fox News Digital, “What great news for America!”
President Trump also weighed in via Truth Social, posting in July 2025: “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, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
He reiterated his criticism in September 2025, writing, “She is not a Great American and is, in my opinion, incapable of being so!”
O’Donnell pushed back forcefully, citing constitutional protections.
“He can’t do that because it’s against the Constitution, and even the Supreme Court has not given him the right to do that. … He’s not allowed to do that. The only way you’re allowed to take away someone’s citizenship is if they renounce it themselves, and I will never renounce my American citizenship,” she said. “I am a very proud citizen of the United States.
“I am also getting my citizenship here so I can have dual citizenship in Ireland and the United States because I enjoy living here,” she added. “It’s very peaceful. I love the politics of the country. I love the people and their generous hearts and spirit. And it’s been very good for my daughter. But I still want to maintain my citizenship in the United States. My children are there. I will be there visiting and go to see them. And I have the freedom to do that, as does every American citizen.”
As a legal matter, the Constitution is clear: a president does not have the authority to revoke the citizenship of a native-born American. Because O’Donnell was born in New York, her citizenship is protected under the 14th Amendment.
A Familiar Pattern
For many Republican voters, O’Donnell’s move abroad — and now her quiet return — underscores a broader trend among high-profile celebrities who vowed to leave the country after Trump’s victories but ultimately maintain close ties to the United States.
While critics in Hollywood describe the country as “scary” or unrecognizable, millions of Americans who supported President Trump see a nation focused on border security, economic growth, and restoring law and order. The contrast highlights an ongoing cultural divide between coastal entertainment elites and much of the rest of the country.
For now, O’Donnell says she is content in Ireland but intends to continue visiting the United States.
