Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Rosie O'Donnell offers Melania Trump marriage advice: 'Divorce Donald and flee'

Comedian urges the first lady to take their 11-year-old son Barron with her

Maya Oppenheim
Monday 03 April 2017 16:41 BST
Comments
O'Donnell has an age-old feud with Mr Trump which goes way back to mid-noughties
O'Donnell has an age-old feud with Mr Trump which goes way back to mid-noughties (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald and Melania Trump’s relationship has been a constant source of unbridled attention and speculation. From ongoing guesswork about the first lady’s body language towards the president to unverified, contested rumours purporting they sleep in separate beds, onlookers have relished in considering what goes on behind scenes.

Rosie O’Donnell, one of Mr Trump’s longest standing and most vocal critics, has now joined the swathes of people weighing in on their relationship.

The American comedian has urged Ms Trump to leave her husband and take their 11-year-old son Barron Trump with her.

The input was prompted by a tweet composed by the First Lady which said: “We must continually reaffirm our American values as we join with the international community to make our world safer!”

O’Donnell, a former host on The View, snapped back: "Which is why you need to divorce him - take your son and parents and FLEE."

Marking a significant break with tradition, the First Lady is currently living separately from the US President in Trump Tower in New York so Barron can finish the school year. According to reports she will be moving into the White House with him in June of this year.

It's worth noting that O’Donnell’s comments have not come from nowhere. She has an age-old feud with Mr Trump which goes way back to the mid-noughties. Back in 2006, O'Donnell criticised the billionaire businessman for holding a conference to announce Miss USA 2006, Tara Conner, could retain her crown after being criticised for publicly partying.

Since then, the pair have publicly criticised each other on more occasion than one. In one particularly angry rant on Entertainment Tonight in 2006, Mr Trump said: “Rosie O'Donnell is disgusting, both inside and out.”

“If you take a look at her, she's a slob. How does she even get on television? If I were running [US talk show] The View, I'd fire Rosie. I'd look her right in that fat, ugly face of hers and say, 'Rosie, you're fired.'“

He has also previously called her a "pig" and a "degenerate".

More recently, Mr Trump used his fiery debut presidential debate to argue that O’Donnell had deserved all of his pejorative remarks towards her.

“I think everybody would agree that she deserves it,” he said. “And nobody feels sorry for her.” O’Donnell, who has routinely vented her frustrations about the president, hit back and called him an “orange an*s”.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in