Entertainment
‘I Was Overeating’: Rosie O’Donnell Opens Up On Side Effects Of Trump Derangement Syndrome
The unhealthy side effects of Trump Derangement Syndrome were very real for Rosie O’Donnell, the comedian and onetime actress who fled the U.S. after President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
TDS, a diagnosis playfully ascribed to some of the president’s most vocal critics, came for O’Donnell in the form of a poor diet and alcohol abuse. The 63-year-old comedian recently opened up about how much strength it took to kick the bad habits brought on after President Trump’s first election.
“During his first go-around, it was very difficult, and I got myself into some bad places,” she told NewsNation host Chris Cuomo.
“You know, I was very, very depressed. I was overeating. I was overdrinking… I was so depressed,” she explained.
The feud between Trump and O’Donnell dates back nearly two decades to 2006, when the comedian first called out the future president on an episode of “The View” where she ridiculed him for pretending to be the “moral authority” surrounding Tara Connor, that year’s winner of the Miss USA pageant who was accused of underage drinking and cocaine use.
“He annoys me on a multitude of levels. [He] left the first wife, had an affair, left the second wife, had an affair, had kids both times, but he’s the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America,” she told People at the time. “Donald, sit and spin, my friend. I don’t enjoy him.”
Trump quickly fired back, calling O’Donnell a “woman out of control” and kicking off what’s come to be one of the longest-lasting disputes in the storied history of the president.
He’s kicked O’Donnell when she’s been down, ridiculing her repeatedly on social media both in and out of the White House. O’Connell announced in January that she was moving permanently to Ireland, citing the start of President Trump’s second administration.
“It hurt my heart that America believed the lies about him,” O’Donnell told Cuomo in her latest interview, “and then it broke my heart to be in a business that creates and sells those lies for profit. It was very heavy, to tell you the truth.”
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However, can O’Donnell ever really be gone if Trump hasn’t forgotten about her?
During a meeting with the Irish prime minister in March, President Trump offered his condolences to the Irish people, who he said would be “less happy” if they continued allowing the comedian to live in their country.
“Ireland is known for very happy, fun-loving people, great attitude, many in this room right now that I’ve met,” Trump said. “Why in the world would you let Rosie O’Donnell move to Ireland? I think she’s going to lower your happiness level.”
He then turned to Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin and joked, “Do you know who she is? You’re better off not knowing her.”