Trump and Rosie Trade Barbs
Jan. 10, 2007 — -- The Donald has struck again.
Barely an hour after Rosie O'Donnell and Barbara Walters united on "The View" to bash the real estate mogul's poison-pen letter to O'Donnell, Trump issued a statement calling Walters a liar and a "sad figurehead dominated by a third-rate comedian.
"Barbara Walters has taken the low road for the sake of her show rather than the sake of her morality," Trump said in his statement, accusing Walters of lying about her true feelings for O'Donnell.
"They didn't even have the courage to mention me by name. It was sad to see Barbara read her statement off a cue card. Rosie just pushed her out like a ('pathetic') puppet," he said, responding to Walters' calling him "that poor, pathetic man" on this morning's "View."
Trump also said he wished that Walters had never chosen him as one of her "10 Most Fascinating People" in 2004 and insisted that O'Donnell lied about the ratings for "The Apprentice."
A day after Donald Trump's now-infamous letter to Rosie O'Donnell, which threatened to drive a wedge between her and "View" co-host Barbara Walters, the two women united to lash back at him.
Walters called Trump "that poor, pathetic man" and high-fived O'Donnell on "The View" this morning.
As they came onstage and sat in their seats, O'Donnell quipped: "Well, he's at it again. How about that, Barbara?"
In his letter, Trump accused Walters of lying about her true feelings for O'Donnell. He also referred to reputed backstage confrontation between the show's co-hosts
On today's "View," O'Donnell then asked Walters: "You OK?"
Walters cooed back: "I'm OK, darling. You OK?" To which O'Donnell responded: "I'm OK, too."
Then Rosie asked: "What can you say about that guy?"
Walters responded: "That poor, pathetic man," to which the audience cheered and applauded.
O'Donnell said: "Sister friend, give me a high-five!" and reached over to high-five Walters. "He just can't let go, but we're moving on. The man is obsessed with me."
Then, O'Donnell took a swipe at the low ratings for the premiere of Trump's show, "The Apprentice," by saying, "And I'm happy to say, his show tanked. It did!"
The latest drama started when Trump fired off a scathing letter to O'Donnell at her "View" office Tuesday morning, blasting her and Walters.
In the letter, Trump referred to a report in the New York Post that described an apparent backstage confrontation between O'Donnell and Walters over the handling of the recent feud between O'Donnell and Trump.
The real estate mogul released the letter to at least one news organization, and Trump's office independently confirmed the letter's authenticity to ABC News.
Trump began the letter by expressing his hope that O'Donnell had a "wonderful vacation with your wife -- you needed the rest."
Then he went on the attack: The "article in today's New York Post indicates that you blew up at Barbara Walters for being a 'liar.' Actually, I don't blame you, but in fact she lied to both of us! After your maniacal and foolish rant against me two weeks ago, Barbara called me from her vacation (I did not call her) in order to apologize for your behavior."
Trump went on to claim that Walters tried to talk him out of taking revenge on O'Donnell and asked him to appear on "The View" to "patch things up."
He also said that Walters actually disparaged O'Donnell by telling him that "working with her is like living in hell" and "Donald, never get into the mud with pigs" and "don't worry, she won't be here for long."
After he described a reputed incident at Le Cirque restaurant two months ago, at which Trump claimed Walters told him not to "ruin my meal" by talking about O'Donnell, Trump ended the letter with a final jab: "Please give my warmest regards to Kelly!" He was referring to O'Donnell's partner, whose name, Kelli, he misspelled.
A spokesperson for Walters declined to comment on the letter. O'Donnell's spokesperson suggested that viewers tune in to "The View" tomorrow, telling the Associated Press, "It will be a great show."
Of course, this is just the latest salvo between the warring parties. From the moment it began with O'Donnell's comments on "The View" on Dec. 20, 2006, to yesterday's letter and Barbara's comeback, here's a recap of the feud:
Dec. 20, 2006:
After Trump announces that he would give embattled Miss USA Tara Conner a second chance, Rosie O'Donnell called Trump a "snake-oil salesman" on "The View," adding "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," while mocking his voice and hair.
O'Donnell then predicted that Trump would try to sue her, but that "he'll probably be bankrupt by that time, so I won't have to worry" and later posted on her blog information on Trump's financial history from his Wikipedia entry.
Trump strikes back: "Rosie is somebody out of control who really just doesn't have it. And she ought to be careful cause I'll send one of my friends to pick up her girlfriend, and I think it would be very easy." (Access Hollywood)
"Rosie attacks me personally? I know her fairly well because her show failed. She didn't retire. She didn't get the ratings! Her magazine called Rosie was a total disaster," he said. "She's out of her mind. I will probably sue Rosie for a number of reasons. I'm worth a lot of money. She doesn't tell the facts. I imagine it would be pretty easy to take her girlfriend away, considering how Rosie looks." Trump also called her a "bully," "stupid" and "a real loser." ("The Insider")
Dec. 21, 2006:
Rosie responds to Trump's comments about her girlfriend: "I was afraid to leave her at home in case someone with a comb-over came and stole her from me." ("The View")"I just think he's a hot bag of wind, frankly, with bad hair." ("Extra")
Trump's comeback: "I bring it up because they talk about me. Ultimately, that show will fail because of Rosie," adding, "Barbara (Walters) made a mistake. She cannot stand Rosie O'Donnell."
"She was like a little clam. A disgusting thought isn't it, when you compare Rosie to a clam?" ("Good Day L.A.")
Trump called Rosie "disgraceful, a horrible human being, a terrible person." He added: "Her magazine failed. The ratings for her show were terrible. They basically threw her off the air. … She's a bully." (CNN's "Larry King Live")
Dec. 27, 2006:
Rosie writes a poem on her personal blog calling Trump a "pimp":
a young girl in nyc
meets a pimp
he cons her into a life of illusion
she works for him
no fun -- no f------ -- no future
she is owned
when she sneaks out --
to party the night away
he freaks
he roughs her up a bit
shames her in front of the others
teaches her to behave
for his own benefit
and just when we lost all hope
cagney and lacey showed up
they cuff the pimp
they free the girl
Dec. 28, 2006:
Trump continues the feud: "She said I went bankrupt. She talks about moral -- and which was false -- she talks about moral compass. I mean, look at Rosie. Look at where she comes.
"Have you ever seen her comedy act, which is, by the way, terrible? I was at one of her comedy acts. And most of the people left because she was so disgusting, not funny, and disgusting.
"So, you know, Rosie shouldn't be talking. I mean, the one I feel sorry for in the whole thing is her girlfriend, Kelli. Anybody that has to kiss Rosie, I feel very sorry for.
"For Rosie to call me a pimp -- I'm a pimp. You know why I'm a pimp? Because I own a beauty pageant. That's why she says I'm a pimp. I'm a pimp, because unlike her, I gave a girl a second chance. That's why I'm a pimp. You're not allowed to make statements like that, Anderson.
"Rosie is an unattractive person. She's a slob. And you know, how she gets this girlfriend I don't know. But I look forward to the day that Kelli leaves her because Kelli, if you're listening, Kelli, and I'm sure you are, you can do much better." (CNN's "360 with Anderson Cooper")
Jan. 3, 2007:
Barbara Walters claims that she never told Trump she didn't want O'Donnell on the show. "Nothing could be further from the truth," she said. "She has brought a new vitality to this show and the ratings prove it."She also emphasized that "Donald Trump has never filed for personal bankruptcy. Several of his casino companies have filed for business bankruptcies. They are out of bankruptcy now." ("The View")
Trump responds: "Barbara fully understands what Barbara told me.
"At the same time, she can't say that because she has to work with the woman. But she won't be working with her long. I mean, that thing will explode because Rosie's wacko.
"Thank goodness for Donald Trump. The show had its worst year last year, and now because of people like me and because she attacks a Kelly Ripa and because she attacks a Danny DeVito, she gets some stuff. But ultimately, you watch what's going to happen. And here's my prediction. She will have a huge fight ultimately with Barbara Walters, and she will be fired.
"Rosie's a slob. I have no interest in Rosie. I've known Rosie a long time, too. You shouldn't even mention those two women in the same breath." (Fox News' "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren")
Jan. 5, 2007:
Trump calls O'Donnell a "degenerate." (CBS' s Late Show with David Letterman)
Trump's daughter, Ivanka, steps into the fray, saying that O'Donnell had "instigated" the hostilities and had been "bullying people for a long time." (NBC's "Today" show)
And then, Trump: "I'm very satisfied with having exposed Rosie for what she is.
"She lost with her talk show, her Broadway show was a failure and her magazine was one of the worse catastrophes in publishing. Ultimately, people don't like her and will turn off 'The View.'"
Trump claimed that he doesn't like the press his feud with O'Donnell has generated and added that he "doesn't want to waste time fighting some lowlife like Rosie." (CNN's "Showbiz Tonight")
On the same day, Rosie posts a video on her blog, which consists of the word "FAT" in painted block letters, images of doves and photos of her children emblazoned over newspaper articles about the feud with Trump. The song playing in the background is Heart's "These Dreams."
Jan. 8, 2007:
Rosie responds, "Boy, did I hit a nerve with that guy!" and called him a "comb-over Energizer bunny," adding that Trump is "obsessed with me, obviously."
"It's the way I look. He can't resist. I love when people say you're fat, like you don't know. It's always the first comment of someone who disagrees with you if you happen to be on the plus side.
"He wounded millions of women by saying that I was fat, you know?"
When Barbara Walters expressed a wish that "we could rise above it," O'Donnell said, "It's not we, it's him." ("The View")
Rosie reportedly also yelled at Walters in the hair and makeup room of "The View," calling her a liar and screaming, "You didn't call me for 10 goddamned days, and you didn't tell me what you were going to say on television!" (New York Post)
Trump responds: "I used the word 'slob,' I used the word 'degenerate' and I used the words 'not very smart.' The word 'fat' played a very small role, if any, in my description of her." (The Associated Press)
Jan. 9, 2007:
Barbara Walters strikes back at Trump's letter by calling him "that poor, pathetic man" while Rosie nods her head in agreement. ("The View")
An hour later, Trump issued a statement calling Walters a liar, a coward and a "sad figurehead dominated by a third-rate comedian."
Jan. 11, 2007
Madonna chimed in to express her support for O'Donnell. "People are giving Rosie a hard time," said the pop singer, who starred with O'Donnell in "A League of Their Own" back in 1992. "I wish they'd stop. I don't think it's fair."
She said that she first heard about the feud while vacationing "in the middle of the Indian Ocean" and that she immediately Emailed O'Donnell. (NBC's "Today Show")