Rosie O’Donnell is sounding the alarm and urging fans to “stand together,” claiming Donald Trump’s “cruelty, greed, incompetence, arrogance, and dementia” will have deadly consequences. In a recent TikTok, the 63-year-old comedian told followers “we’re on to you,” tying her warnings to the war in Gaza, nationwide protests in Italy, and what she argues is a U.S. media blind spot. O’Donnell, who has feuded with Trump for nearly two decades, has been increasingly vocal from Ireland, where she relocated earlier this year.
In the video, O’Donnell points to Italy, saying mass strikes show how quickly a public can mobilize and “shut down the whole country.” She urges Americans to follow suit, insisting collective action is the only way to counter policies she believes will harm the most vulnerable. Her timing lands as Italy has been roiled by huge Gaza solidarity actions, with unions and demonstrators disrupting daily life and pressuring Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government. Independent reporting confirms widespread strikes and protests, with turnout in the millions according to organizers.
The Italian unrest is bound up with the Global Sumud Flotilla, intercepted by Israel, which included high-profile activists and European lawmakers. Authorities deported many detainees, among them Greta Thunberg, while others described harsh treatment in custody, claims Israeli officials deny. Outlets reported that Senator Chris Andrews was among those detained, a detail that dovetails with O’Donnell’s references to Ireland’s coverage of events abroad.
O’Donnell’s criticism has sharpened alongside rising chatter about Trump’s mental fitness. She has repeatedly suggested he shows signs of cognitive decline, and her latest clip raises the stakes by predicting fatal fallout from his agenda. The “dementia” framing mirrors a wave of recent commentary, including a Daily Beast interview with psychologist John Gartner, who argued publicly that Trump exhibits signs consistent with decline. Trump and his allies dismiss such claims, and the White House has brushed off questions about the president’s health.
In July, Trump threatened on social media to revoke O’Donnell’s U.S. citizenship, calling her a “threat to humanity,” a move legal experts immediately called impossible under the 14th Amendment. O’Donnell fired back across platforms, labeling Trump a “criminal con man” and, in other posts, an “old soulless man.” People and Politico documented the exchange, and Fox News highlighted her subsequent TikTok broadsides, where she again questioned Trump’s health and vowed to keep speaking out.
O’Donnell’s Gaza-focused call to action is intentionally blunt. She argues Americans are not seeing the full picture, pointing to European coverage, and insists looming cuts to social programs will bite hard. “When we feel the results,” she suggests, the public will realize too late that policy choices have life and death consequences. Her message is equal parts media critique, protest blueprint, and character judgment of the man she sees as driving the crisis.
Whether her warnings move the needle is another matter. Italy’s mass actions show how quickly momentum can build, yet the U.S. political terrain is different, and Trump’s base has proven resilient through years of controversy. Still, O’Donnell seems determined to keep the pressure on, framing the moment as a test of national conscience. “Come on everybody,” she tells her followers, urging solidarity in the face of what she calls a dangerous future if Trump’s plans take hold.
