'Open your goddamn mouth': Rosie O’Donnell urges reporters to stop enabling Trump's misconduct

WASHINGTON, DC: Comedian Rosie O’Donnell has sharply criticized President Trump and the media figures who she claims allow his misconduct, especially after a recent outburst caught on video. 

On the 'Jim Acosta Show', her remarks were prompted by a viral video showing Trump verbally attacking a female reporter.

Rosie O’Donnell’s response to Donald Trump remarks

O’Donnell was reacting to a video showing Trump berating a female reporter as “stupid” during a press briefing at the estate Mar-a-Lago on Thanksgiving. 

The reporter, Nancy Cordes of CBS News, had challenged Trump’s assertion that the Afghan national accused in a deadly National Guard shooting had not been properly vetted.

In response, Trump snapped: “Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?” 

Speaking on the show, O’Donnell said White House journalists had a duty to call out such behavior.

She declared, “A decent person would stand up in spite of their job and say ‘I will not sit here and watch you verbally assault and attack a woman.’”

She further added, “Open your goddamn mouths and save your souls because you’re going to have to live with yourself long after he is gone.”

O’Donnell argued that the pattern of Trump’s aggressive attacks, which in recent weeks have been directed exclusively at female reporters, using insults such as “ugly,” “stupid,” and “piggy” is part of a broader problem.

She speculated that the behavior may stem from what she called “a thing called dementia.”

More than just attributing this to one man’s conduct, O’Donnell criticized the institutional systems and individuals who she says enable and normalize such degradation.

She asked, “What happened to decency? What happened to someone standing next to that woman saying ‘Did you just call her stupid? Did you just call her stupid, President of the United States?’” She concluded bluntly, “He’s a disgrace.”

Jim Acosta explains press behavior

Acosta, who served as CNN’s chief White House correspondent from 2007 until January of this year and is known for challenging Trump’s claims, spoke about the issue. 

He suggested that other reporters may avoid confronting Trump because they are instructed to endure such behavior in order to remain in the press pack. 

“Well, that is a disservice to everyone, to the soul of every person forced to eat it,” O’Donnell replied.

This is not the first time O’Donnell has publicly clashed with Trump. 

Their rivalry dates back to 2006, when O’Donnell criticized Trump, calling him a “snake-oil salesman” and disputing the notion that he was a self-made man.

Their animosity has repeatedly resurfaced over the years, with both trading barbs in media interviews and public statements.