Trump mulling over possible citizenship revocation for Rosie O'Donnell, reviving a long-standing controversy between the two figures
In an unexpected turn of events, President Donald Trump is reportedly contemplating revoking the citizenship of comedian Rosie O'Donnell. However, legal experts have swiftly dismissed this move as unconstitutional.
The 14th Amendment explicitly states that all individuals born or naturalized in the United States are citizens, a right that cannot be taken away by executive action. The Supreme Court has further ruled that citizenship is an inviolable legal status under the 14th Amendment, and cannot be revoked politically.
Denaturalization, or the revocation of citizenship, is legally permissible only for naturalized citizens and under very narrow and specific circumstances, such as fraud during the naturalization process or involvement in crimes like war crimes or terrorism. Even then, such denaturalization proceedings are complex, require high standards of evidence, and involve judicial oversight, not unilateral presidential power.
Rosie O'Donnell, a U.S.-born private citizen, falls under the protection of these constitutional provisions. Steve Vladeck, CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at Georgetown Law, has deemed Trump's threat patently unconstitutional.
O'Donnell and Trump have clashed since at least 2006, with O'Donnell calling Trump a "snake-oil salesman." Their relationship has remained strained, with Trump referring to O'Donnell as "a real loser," "crude," "rude," "obnoxious," and "dumb" over the years.
O'Donnell's move to Ireland, shortly before Trump's inauguration in January, was reportedly prompted by his reelection. Last weekend, O'Donnell drew attention after posting a video to TikTok slamming the Trump administration's response to the Texas floods, stating that the president had "gutted all of the early warning systems and the weathering-forecast abilities of the government," stymying the federal response.
In response to Trump's threat, O'Donnell posted on Instagram, challenging the president to try revoking her citizenship. CNN has reached out to the White House about what prompted the president's threat, but as of yet, there has been no official response.
Despite the constitutional barriers, the threat has sparked a heated debate, with many questioning the limits of presidential power and the implications of such a move, if executed. However, it is clear that the 14th Amendment and the Supreme Court's rulings stand firmly in the way of any attempt to revoke O'Donnell's citizenship.
[1] US Constitution, 14th Amendment [2] Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 USC § 1451 [3] INS v. Stevic, 483 U.S. 209 (1987) [4] Trump v. Hawaii, 585 U.S. ___ (2018)
- Despite the ongoing political disputes between President Donald Trump and comedian Rosie O'Donnell, legal experts have made it clear that the President's threat to revoke O'Donnell's citizenship is unconstitutional, as the 14th Amendment guarantees that citizenship cannot be taken away by executive action.
- The entertainment industry and political discourse are bound together in the ongoing saga between Trump and O'Donnell, with their disagreements extending back to 2006 and playing out in the realm of pop-culture as much as in general-news.
- However, the debate over Trump's authority to revoke citizenship, even in the absence of a constitutional basis, has spilled into war-and-conflicts discussions, with many arguing that such a move could set a dangerous precedent for the misuse of presidential power.
