Rosie O'Donnell Says Donald Trump Supporters Are 'Willfully Blind'

Rosie O'Donnell said those who support Donald Trump are "willfully blind" as she continues to criticize her longtime nemesis.

O'Donnell, who recently expressed her happiness about the FBI's search of Trump's Florida estate for classified government documents, shared more of her thoughts on the former president after a TikTok user didn't appear to take kindly to one of her posts about him.

Responding to a comment that read, "Rosie stop, [you're] better than that," O'Donnell said in a video posted over the weekend, "Apparently, I am not better than that. Not at all, not one bit. Listen, all you got to do is look it up. You're willfully blind if you believe in Trump."

The initial comment appeared to be a response to one of O'Donnell's recent TikTok posts about Trump, particularly in the wake of the FBI raid.

Rosie O'Donnell calls Trump supporters "blind"
Rosie O'Donnell, who recently said Donald Trump supporters are "willfully blind," is shown on May 8, 2018, in New York City, with Trump (inset) on August 10. AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson/Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Showtime

On August 8, Trump confirmed that FBI agents had searched his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach and condemned the move. "Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before," he said in a statement. "After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate."

Calling the raid "prosecutorial misconduct" and a "weaponization of the Justice System," Trump also said the raid was hatched by "Radical Left Democrats" seeking to prevent him from running for president in 2024.

That same day, O'Donnell said the raid proved that "no one is above the law" and suggested that Trump's image as a billionaire real estate mogul was manufactured.

"OK, so we've proved to the citizens of the United States that no one is above the law," O'Donnell said on TikTok. "Trump's home raided and [the FBI] seized 15 boxes. A lot of boxes seized. So, you know, there's no civil war today, by the way. I looked around and there's no civil war happening.

She went on, "So I think America has come to understand his true essence and he doesn't have quite the following that he used to and people have woken up to the illusion of Donald Trump. Because that's what it was—an illusion created by Mark Burnett on The Celebrity Apprentice that he was somehow some sort of successful businessman, which he never was.

"He got all his money from his dad, who was a slumlord, and his company was mostly logo-slapping, not building," O'Donnell said.

In another video, O'Donnell said of the businessman-turned-politician: "The guy's a criminal, a convict. He's the worst person to ever hold that office."

After the raid on Trump's property, two high-level U.S. intelligence officials told Newsweek that the raid was specifically intended to recover Trump's personal "stash" of hidden documents.

For several years, O'Donnell and Trump have been engaged in a public feud, which began in 2006 when the comedian criticized him on ABC's The View, a show she formerly co-hosted.

O'Donnell slammed Trump for not firing Miss USA winner Tara Conner, who admitted to drug use and underage drinking. Trump responded by calling O'Donnell "a loser" and "fat."

During a segment on The View, O'Donnell said she didn't "enjoy" Trump, alleged that he was actually bankrupt and described him as a "snake oil salesman on Little House on the Prairie."

Rosie O'Donnell protests Donald Trump
Rosie O'Donnell at a protest against then-President Donald Trump in front of the White House on August 6, 2018. The two have been locked in a years-long feud. NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images

At the time, Trump rebuked her statements, saying she was "a woman out of control."

"You can't make false statements. Rosie will rue the words she said," he added. "I'll most likely sue her for making those false statements—and it'll be fun. Rosie's a loser. A real loser. I look forward to taking lots of money from my nice fat little Rosie."

The pair's feud has continued since then, with each taking regular shots at the other through the years.

"When someone dies, maybe he'll shut up," O'Donnell said about Trump on MSNBC in 2018. She also called the former president "the dumbest human living" and a "creepy fascist."

Trump, who is known for attacking his enemies on a regular basis, has called O'Donnell a "mentally sick woman, a bully, a dummy and, above all, a loser" and someone with "no talent and no persona."

Uncommon Knowledge

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more

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