Rosie O’Donnell calls out Trump’s bizarre AI video, insisting the president is trapped in a decades-long fixation
She’s back.
Rosie O’Donnell just called out Donald Trump’s latest AI-generated stunt, and she’s not holding back. According to The Hill, the comedian and longtime Trump critic dismissed a video he shared on Truth Social where he plays a doctor treating celebrities for “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” O’Donnell, one of the stars featured in the fake testimonials, laughed it off but made it clear she thinks the president is fixated on her.
The video, posted on July 2, 2026, shows Trump in a white lab coat and stethoscope, pretending to diagnose high-profile critics like O’Donnell, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert De Niro, and Julia Roberts. The AI-generated clip includes scripted endorsements from these figures, all claiming “Dr. Trump” cured their supposed symptoms.
O’Donnell joked during an appearance on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper that she was in good company but couldn’t shake the feeling that Trump just won’t let go of their feud. “I seem to be, you know, the obsession he can’t get rid of,” she said.
Their history goes way back, long before Trump ever ran for office
O’Donnell has been one of his most vocal critics, especially during his first term, and he’s fired back with insults, calling her a “pig” and a “loser.” Last month, he shared another AI-generated image showing his face in thought bubbles above her head, which she clearly didn’t appreciate. On Friday, July 10, she didn’t mince words, calling him a “mediocre man with such horrible, horrible reputation” and blaming him for what she sees as the worst thing to happen to the United States.
O’Donnell’s frustration isn’t just about the AI video. She’s been openly critical of Trump’s influence in other areas, including sports. During a recent interview with Variety, she ripped into his intervention at the World Cup, where he personally lobbied FIFA President Gianni Infantino to overturn a red card for U.S. player Folarin Balogun.
The move, which reversed a decision for the first time since 1962, was given scrutiny by some, especially since Infantino had given Trump FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize last year. O’Donnell called the whole thing a sham. “The fact that he called up FIFA and had the penalty revoked for the American team and America was like, ‘Yeah, that’s good! I didn’t think it was a red card anyway!’ Well, you’re not the freakin’ ref! You don’t get to decide!” she told Variety.
She was even more horrified that neither Balogun nor the U.S. team’s coach pushed back. “The fact that [Balogun] did not say, ‘I will not play this game,’ and the fact that the coach of the American team did not say, ‘This is not how we win,’ and that everyone was just like, ‘Well, whatever!’ I was horrified,” she said.
For O’Donnell, it’s just another example of Trump bending the rules to his will while everyone else shrugs it off. “There’s so much [corruption] that we don’t even notice it,” she added.
The World Cup incident hits especially close to home for O’Donnell, given Trump’s attacks on birthright citizenship
Balogun, born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents, is a birthright citizen, and Trump has repeatedly tried to undermine that right. Last summer, he even threatened to revoke O’Donnell’s citizenship in a public rant. She made it clear she’s not going anywhere. “I will never give up my American citizenship, and that’s the only way it can be taken from you if you’re an American citizen, no matter what the current president says,” she said.
O’Donnell’s disdain for Trump goes beyond politics. She called him a “failure at everything he’s ever tried” and said his presidency is an “abomination.” She even moved to Ireland with her 13-year-old child just days before Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, citing “mental health concerns” for herself and her family. O’Donnell described the U.S. political landscape at the time as “heartbreaking” and said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship.
Now, O’Donnell is back in the U.S. for a limited run of her one-woman show, Common Knowledge, at New York City’s Daryl Roth Theatre. The show, which chronicles her personal journey after moving to Dublin, is a mix of comedy and reflection on her life post-Trump. She told Jake Tapper she doesn’t regret leaving the country, even if it was a tough decision. “It was the right thing for me and my family,” she said.
The AI video isn’t the first time Trump has used deepfake technology to target his critics
He’s previously shared images of himself resembling Jesus healing the sick. He even posted a fake video of Pope Francis endorsing his campaign. O’Donnell isn’t the only one who’s noticed the pattern. Many of the celebrities featured in the “Trump Derangement Syndrome” video have spoken out against the use of AI to spread misinformation, but Trump seems unfazed.
O’Donnell has been a thorn in Trump’s side for decades, and he’s made it clear he hasn’t forgotten. But she’s not backing down. If anything, her recent interviews and upcoming show prove she’s more determined than ever to call out what she sees as his abuses of power. Whether it’s sports, citizenship, or AI-generated propaganda, O’Donnell is making sure her voice is heard.
If the AI video was meant to rattle O’Donnell, it didn’t work. Instead, she’s using it as fuel to keep pushing back against a president she seems to believe is unfit for the job. And with her one-woman show hitting the stage later this month, she’s got a bigger platform than ever to make her case.
(Featured image: Warrick Page/Warrick Page/SHOWTIME – © 2021 SHOWTIME NETWORKS INC.)
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