Comedian Rosie O’Donnell Questions Legitimacy of Trump’s Re-election
Rosie O’Donnell has called for an investigation into the 2024 US presidential election results, questioning the legitimacy of Donald Trump’s sweeping victory across key swing states. The comedian and former co-host of “The View,” who has had a long-standing rivalry with Trump, voiced her concerns during an appearance on Irish talk show “The Late Late Show” last week.
Speaking to host Patrick Kielty, O’Donnell expressed disbelief over Trump’s electoral success, hinting that his close friendship with a powerful tech figure could have influenced the outcome. Without naming him directly, O’Donnell seemed to suggest Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), stating, “One of his best friends owns and runs the internet.” She also named this individual as one of his “biggest donors.”
“I would hope that would be investigated and that we would see whether or not it was an anomaly or something else that happened on election night in America when Kamala Harris was filling up stadiums with people who supported her and Donald Trump was not able to do that. So it’s curious to me, and as an American and a believer in democracy, I would hope that we would be able to look at all of the reasons why this happened in our country.”
O’Donnell, 63, recently relocated to Ireland shortly before Trump retook office, describing the move as beneficial for her mental health and sleep quality. In an Instagram post from earlier this month, she stated, “It’s not easy to move to another country, and we really felt as a family this was the safest and best thing for us to do, and it looks like sadly we were correct.”
She and her 12-year-old daughter, Dakota, settled in Dublin. In her interview, she made it clear that she stood by her decision. “The president of the United States has it out for me and has for twenty years when I told the truth about him on a program called The View,” she said.
“I mentioned his bankruptcies, and I mentioned all of the sexual assault charges, and I mentioned that he was not, in fact, the businessman that everyone thinks he is because of the show, The Apprentice, where they sold a bunch of lies to America for over 10 years, and half of America believed it. And so he was very angry to say the least, and he hasn’t let it go. And he sort of uses me as a punchline whenever he feels the need.”
O’Donnell also expressed deep concern over Trump’s significant government restructuring, particularly his plans to dismantle the Department of Education. She highlighted the personal implications for her autistic child, Dakota, had she stayed in America, emphasizing the severe impact such decisions have on federally funded programs supporting special needs education. “
“It’s going to be disastrous for children on the spectrum. And that was terrifying. But the biggest reason that it was different than the first time he was in office is because of the Supreme Court giving him ultimate power, the powers of a king or a monarch. And that’s not what the United States is all about. And it’s a terrifying prospect. And in fact, what has happened since he’s taken office has been terrifying, I think for the world and definitely for the United States of America.”
Additionally, O’Donnell criticized MMA fighter Conor McGregor’s recent White House visit, calling it “very depressing” and raising concerns about Trump’s association with controversial figures. Another one of McGregor’s previous visits followed shortly after an Irish High Court ruled in a civil case that he had assaulted and raped a woman in 2018. “It’s very strange that the president of the United States has so many friends who are sexual abusers,” she said. She also stated that the first few weeks of President Trump’s second term have been terrifying.
O’Donnell is Irish on both sides of her family and is currently in the process of applying for citizenship. Reflecting on her new life in Ireland, O’Donnell humorously shared her adjustment to driving on the opposite side of the road on Instagram. “Bought a little used car to tool around the countryside on the wrong side of the road,” she wrote. “Hit the curb three times—thought I hit a cat! #newadventures.” She also expressed excitement about walking Dakota to her new school, signaling her optimism despite the challenging political landscape back in the United States.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
