Los Angeles – Rosie O’Donnell resurfaced this week with a familiar refrain, accusing President-elect Donald Trump of fearing “smart and strong women” and believing females exist “to be abused.” The comedian’s viral monologue, delivered on her podcast, reignited the perennial Hollywood assault on Trump, framing his victory as proof of patriarchal backlash rather than voter rejection of progressive policies.
O’Donnell’s rhetoric echoes a decade-old playbook: From 2016’s Access Hollywood tape to 2024’s lingering E. Jean Carroll verdict, celebrity critics cast Trump as misogyny incarnate. Yet the numbers tell a different story. In 2024, Trump improved his margin among white women by 8 points and narrowed the gender gap overall, winning 54% of non-college-educated women—a demographic Democrats once dominated. Latino women shifted right by 18 points, and Black women under 50 moved 12 points toward Trump, per exit polls. “They don’t speak for us,” said Maria Alvarez, a Miami nurse who backed Trump. “We want lower grocery bills, not lectures from millionaires.”
The disconnect is stark. While O’Donnell and peers like Alyssa Milano decry Trump’s “war on women,” his cabinet picks—Kristi Noem at DHS, Tulsi Gabbard at DNI, Karoline Leavitt as press secretary—feature prominent female voices. Melania Trump’s “Fostering the Future” initiative commands bipartisan praise, and daughter Ivanka’s past childcare advocacy lingers in memory. Meanwhile, Hollywood’s moral authority frays: O’Donnell’s own history of workplace controversies and the industry’s #MeToo scandals undermine the pedestal.
Voters appear fatigued. A post-election Rasmussen survey found 62% of independents view celebrity political endorsements as “annoying,” up from 55% in 2020. Trump’s 312 electoral votes didn’t come from coastal enclaves but from women in Pennsylvania diners and Georgia suburbs who prioritized inflation over indignation. As one Ohio mother told reporters: “Rosie can keep her rage. I just want eggs under $4 again.”
In Trump’s America, the celebrity sermon falls on deaf ears. The audience has changed the channel—from red-carpet outrage to kitchen-table results.
