After moving to Ireland following President Donald Trump\u2019s re-election, longtime Trump critic Rosie O\u2019Donnell has quietly returned to the United States \u2014 at least temporarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a recent interview with Chris Cuomo on \u201cSiriusXM\u2019s Cuomo Mornings,\u201d the 63-year-old actress revealed she spent two weeks back home visiting family. O\u2019Donnell moved to Ireland with her teenage daughter in January 2025, just ahead of President Trump\u2019s second inauguration, citing political concerns at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cI was recently home for two weeks, and I did not really tell anyone,\u201d she told Cuomo. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
O\u2019Donnell said she wanted to ensure \u201cthat it was safe\u201d for her and her daughter to return over the summer so they could spend time with family during her daughter\u2019s school break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the interview, O\u2019Donnell described the United States as feeling \u201clike a very different country\u201d since her move \u2014 in part, she said, because she has stopped following American news and pop culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cI’ve been in a place where celebrity worship does not exist,\u201d she explained. \u201cI’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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
She added that she does not regret her decision to leave, saying she did \u201cwhat I needed to do to save myself, my child and my sanity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cAnd 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 \u2014 if I could use the most simple word I can think of \u2014 it was scary,\u201d she said. \u201cThere’s a feeling that something is really wrong, and no one is doing anything about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
A Two-Decade Feud<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
O\u2019Donnell\u2019s political activism \u2014 and her long-running feud with President Trump \u2014 dates back nearly 20 years. The public sparring began during her time on \u201cThe View,\u201d when she criticized Trump\u2019s business record and public persona. Since then, the two have frequently traded barbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an earlier interview with the Irish radio show \u201cSunday with Miriam,\u201d O\u2019Donnell claimed, \u201cHe uses me as a punching bag and a way to sort of rile his base.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For many conservatives, however, O\u2019Donnell has long embodied the Hollywood elite\u2019s reflexive hostility toward Trump and the voters who support him \u2014 a dynamic that intensified during both of Trump\u2019s terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citizenship Controversy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
After relocating abroad, O\u2019Donnell announced she was pursuing Irish citizenship. In an October 2025 interview with the U.K.\u2019s Daily Telegraph, she said she hoped to obtain dual citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the time, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded to the news, telling Fox News Digital, \u201cWhat great news for America!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Trump also weighed in via Truth Social, posting in July 2025: \u201cBecause of the fact that Rosie O\u2019Donnell 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!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He reiterated his criticism in September 2025, writing, \u201cShe is not a Great American and is, in my opinion, incapable of being so!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
O\u2019Donnell pushed back forcefully, citing constitutional protections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe 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,\u201d she said. \u201cI am a very proud citizen of the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am also getting my citizenship here so I can have dual citizenship in Ireland and the United States because I enjoy living here,\u201d she added. \u201cIt’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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019Donnell was born in New York, her citizenship is protected under the 14th Amendment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Familiar Pattern<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For many Republican voters, O\u2019Donnell\u2019s move abroad \u2014 and now her quiet return \u2014 underscores a broader trend among high-profile celebrities who vowed to leave the country after Trump\u2019s victories but ultimately maintain close ties to the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While critics in Hollywood describe the country as \u201cscary\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For now, O\u2019Donnell says she is content in Ireland but intends to continue visiting the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n