Rosie O’Donnell and the Death of Citizenship Michael Cohen and MeidasTouch Network Jul 13 Guest article by Michael Cohen Editorial credit: Brian Jason / Shutterstock.com; Lev Radin / Shutterstock.com This isn’t about Rosie. It’s a litmus test of how far Trump can push the Constitution—and how many MAGA Americans are dumb enough to let him try. I’m writing this not just as someone who once stood too close to the sun, but as a man who’s been burned by its fire, singed by its radiation, and still smells of smoke. Because what we’re witnessing right now isn’t just another unhinged social media tantrum by President Trump; it’s a calculated test. A litmus of lunacy. A dry run for dictatorship. This time, the target is Rosie O’Donnell. Next time, it could be you. Let me be crystal clear: Trump’s threat to revoke the citizenship of Rosie—an American-born citizen, comedian, and longtime thorn in Trump’s side—isn’t just some off-the-cuff late-night post. No. It’s the probing of a system. A poke at the Constitution to see if it flinches. It’s not about Rosie. It never really was. It’s about finding the weak seams in American democracy and prying them open until the entire foundation splits apart. I spent years by this man’s side. I know how he thinks. This wasn’t said in jest or hyperbole. It was a balloon floated into the ether to see who salutes, who shrugs, and who screams. And the silence, my Substack friends—the fuckin’ silence* from too many so-called patriots—is deafening. Because if Trump can get the courts, or even a whisper of legal standing, to strip Rosie of her citizenship because she “is not in the best interests of our Great Country,” what’s to stop him from doing it to you for tweeting the wrong meme? For disagreeing with a policy. For not liking how you look. Let’s pull back for a second and get grounded in the facts, because facts do still matter—at least to some of us. Rosie O’Donnell was born in the United States. She has, under the Fourteenth Amendment, an unshakable constitutional right to her citizenship. Period. Full stop. The Supreme Court said as much in 1967. Yet Trump, now once again sitting behind the Resolute Desk, is tossing around the idea like it’s just another item on the Mar-a-Lago lunch menu: “Grab me a Diet Coke, and while you’re at it, strip Rosie of her constitutional rights.” And you think this ends with Rosie? Really? C’mon, you’re not that naive. URGENT MESSAGE From Meidas Founder Ben Meiselas MeidasTouch Network and Ben Meiselas · 11:01 AM Read full story This isn’t a temper tantrum. It’s a blueprint. Trump wants to rewrite the rulebook—not just with pen but with a nuclear bomb. He’s testing what the public will accept, what the courts might allow, and which judges he can bully into compliance. If he can target someone as high-profile, as loud, as well-connected as Rosie—and get away with it—then no one’s safe. Not the journalists. Not the protesters. Not the immigrants. Not even you, Mr. MAGA hat-wearing sycophant, if you dare turn on your king. We have to stop treating every Trumpian outrage as some new and bizarre anomaly. These are not outbursts; they are strategy. This is how autocrats work. You float the radical idea. Watch the response. Gauge the legal boundaries. And then if no one stops you—boom, you codify it into policy. Trump did it with the Muslim ban. He’s trying it with birthright citizenship. He’s threatened it with Elon Musk. And now he’s making a public example of Rosie O’Donnell. She moved to Ireland after the 2024 election, disillusioned and disgusted. The woman spent years being verbally harassed by Trump, publicly mocked for her appearance, her sexuality, her humanity. And now, her very citizenship is being challenged because she opposes him? She says critical things about him. That’s not politics. That’s persecution. The most chilling part of all this isn’t what Trump says. It’s that there’s a system out there willing to entertain it. A base of supporters who cheer it on. A judiciary he’s stacked. A party that’s been bullied into silence or seduced into complicity. And a population that, quite frankly, seems too numb to give a shit until it’s their passport that is in the shredder. If Trump finds a way—any way—to crack open this sacred tenet of American identity, then we’re no longer living in a democracy. It’s over. We’re living in a state where citizenship is conditional. Where loyalty isn’t to the Constitution but to the man. Where disagreement equals exile. Amanda Frost, a constitutional law professor who knows a thing or two more than your average Fox News analyst, made it clear: The government cannot choose the people. We choose the government. That’s the very basis of this grand, messy American experiment. But Trump has never believed that. He’s always viewed America not as a republic, but as an empire—and he’s the self-appointed emperor. So yeah, laugh off the Rosie thing if you want. Call it just Trump being Trump. But don’t come crying later when it’s not a celebrity on the chopping block. When it’s a schoolteacher. A protester. A journalist. Or just a citizen who dared to speak up. Because this isn’t about Rosie. It’s about power. Raw, unchecked, and dangerously close to being absolute. And if we don’t stop it now—even as a conversation—we may never get the chance again. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. ARE YOU TIRED OF THE BULLSHIT LIKE I AM? PLEASE… I NEED YOUR HELP! WHERE ARE ALL THE NEW SUPPORTERS? WE CAN’T DO THIS ALONE. If you’re reading this, then you already know: This isn’t just a newsletter. It’s a call to arms. We’re not here to observe. We’re here to confront. To expose. To drag corruption out into the light and hold it accountable. But the truth? I can’t do this without you. Not anymore. The fight ahead isn’t theoretical. It’s here. It’s now. And it’s relentless. We’re staring down the barrel of authoritarianism wrapped in a flag and selling freedom as a brand. So let me ask you—Are you in? Because this isn’t a passive read. This is a movement. And movements need muscle. We need to build something so loud, so unshakable, that no one can twist it, spin it, or shut it down. That takes real support—not clicks, not likes. Commitment. If you believe in truth, if you’re tired of watching the liars win, if you’re done shouting into the void, then it’s time to take the next step. HERE’S HOW YOU RAISE YOUR VOICE: Become a paid subscriber… support real journalism with bite. Forward this to the people who never sit quietly. Bring your crew. Grow this community. Be the megaphone. Michael Cohen Principal of Crisis-X #1 and #8 NYT Bestseller Author Host of The Mea Culpa Podcast Co-Host of The Political Beatdown Former Personal Attorney To President Donald J. Trump Discharged Felon And yes, for the first 240 Founding Members, I’ll be sending a signed, numbered, limited-edition Substack version of my New York Times bestseller, Revenge. It’s not just a collector’s item. It’s proof you stood up when history came calling. But this isn’t about a book. It’s about defiance. It’s about refusing to be gaslit. It’s about locking arms and saying, “Not on our watch.” You want to make a difference? Then make it. Right now. Because if we don’t fight for truth—no one will. And if we fight together? They’ll never drown us out. Let’s be impossible to ignore. Let’s be un-fucking-breakable. Let’s go. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. A guest post by Michael Cohen Principal of Crisis-X #1 and #8 NYT Bestseller Author Host of The Mea Culpa Podcast Co-Host of The Political Beatdown Former Personal Attorn