President Donald Trump has reignited his years-long public feud with comedian Rosie O’Donnell by sharing an AI-generated image mocking her on Truth Social, days after she claimed on a podcast that he appeared to be in poor health and questioned his fitness for office.
President Donald Trump has reignited his decades-long feud with comedian Rosie O’Donnell, sharing an AI-generated image mocking her on his Truth Social account in the early hours of Friday morning. The image, posted days after O’Donnell suggested during a podcast interview that Trump appeared to be in poor health, depicts her in a mock medical examination room alongside a doctor resembling Trump, holding a clipboard labelled a “Trump Derangement Syndrome Assessment.” The mocked-up diagnosis lists O’Donnell as suffering a “Massive / Severe TDS” case, with listed symptoms including “irrational rage,” “obsessive Trump fixation,” “meltdown triggered by Trump news” and “complete loss of composure.”
What sparked the latest exchange
Trump’s post appeared to be a direct response to comments O’Donnell made earlier in the week during an appearance on the On With Kara Swisher podcast, in which she raised questions about the president’s health. Host Kara Swisher said during the episode: “People are tired of his act, I think.” O’Donnell responded: “And the fact that he’s falling asleep, that he’s very physically ill, that he doesn’t look like he’s long for this earth, that he shouldn’t be the man in control of the nuclear code. Like, these are things that everyone around him knows.”
O’Donnell, who has been one of Trump’s most vocal celebrity critics for years, also questioned during the interview whether those close to the president were being fully transparent about his condition. She did not present medical evidence to support her claims, and the White House has not announced that Trump has any serious undisclosed medical condition, nor has any official diagnosis matching O’Donnell’s comments been released.
A feud stretching back nearly two decades
The clash between Trump and O’Donnell dates back to 2006, when O’Donnell criticised Trump on The View over his handling of a Miss USA controversy. The pair have continued to trade barbs publicly in the years since, with Trump repeatedly targeting O’Donnell in speeches, interviews and on social media, while O’Donnell has remained a consistent and outspoken critic of the president.
Their rivalry resurfaced during a notable moment in the 2016 presidential race, when moderator Megyn Kelly challenged Trump during a Republican primary debate over past comments he had made about women. Trump famously responded that he had only used insulting names to describe O’Donnell, a remark that drew laughter from the debate audience at the time.
O’Donnell has previously said she relocated to Ireland following Trump’s return to office, citing political reasons for the move.
Trump’s use of Truth Social
Since returning to the White House, Trump has frequently used Truth Social to respond directly to political opponents, media organisations and public figures, often sharing memes, edited images and AI-generated content as part of these exchanges. The image targeting O’Donnell was presented in a similar satirical style, and there is no evidence that the mock medical assessment depicted in the post reflects any genuine diagnosis.
Part of a wider debate over presidential fitness
The renewed dispute comes amid a broader, recurring debate in American politics over the age and health of presidential candidates and officeholders, an issue that has drawn public scrutiny for both Trump and former President Joe Biden in recent election cycles.
The latest exchange between Trump and O’Donnell has attracted significant attention online, reviving what remains one of the longest-running celebrity-political feuds in American public life, one that has now persisted across multiple presidential campaigns and administrations.
