Trump Insists Rosie Will Be Fired
Donald Trump fired back at Barbara Walters following her vote of support Wednesday for co-host Rosie O'Donnell.
Walters, who returned to "The View" from vacation, said on the daytime chat show that she never told Trump she didn't want O'Donnell on the show, as he has claimed. "Nothing could be further from the truth," she said. "I have never regretted, nor do I now, the hiring of Rosie O'Donnell."
Walters added, "She has brought a new vitality to this show and the ratings prove it. When she returns (from this week's vacation), we will all welcome her back with open arms."
But in an interview with Pat O'Brien on "ET/The Insider" that aired Wednesday night, Trump claimed O'Donnell's days on "The View" are numbered, saying, "Rosie just lies, and I think Barbara Walters who, in my opinion, is a great friend of mine but a great woman, I think Barbara will eventually fire Rosie.
" ... During my conversation with Barbara, she called me last week, she said, 'Donald, I've got to put up with it. I can't stand it. I hate it.' Now, eventually, she'll get rid of Rosie. There's no question in my mind, and I hope you save this clip because, eventually, Rosie will be gone from 'The View.' Rosie is a very negative force."
For good measure, Trump added, "Rosie's a slob. She's crude, she's tough, she's arrogant, she's pushy, she's disgusting."
Photos: Rosie O'Donnell
In her blog, O'Donnell didn't back down: "What happens when you say the emperor has no clothes? 'The Comb-over' goes ballistic!"
On Thursday, Trump and his 25-year-old daughter Ivanka appeared on NBC's "Today" show to promote their reality show "The Apprentice." Ivanka claimed O'Donnell is to be blamed for instigating the feud.
"I think it was unfair, it was uncalled for and, quite frankly, there was no reason for it," she said of O'Donnell's recent remarks, which include saying The Donald has been "bankrupt so many times."
"As my father said, she, too, has had a lot of second chances," Ivanka said. "You know, there's nothing surprising about the fact that my dad's gonna come back with a vengeance anytime anyone says anything negative against him."
In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Trump said he appreciated that Walters "did a retraction" on Wednesday's show, and claimed ratings of "The View" "are up because of people like me. 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."
Trump hosts NBC's "The Apprentice," which begins its new season Sunday.
"Ooh, what a coincidence! 'The Apprentice" starts back up this week," media analyst Sally Stewart remarked to The Early Show national remarked Hattie Kauffman.
Kauffman observed that the ratings rise for "The View" and the possible boost the fued could give to "The Apprentice" aren't lost on either Trump or O'Donnell.
Walters took a moment on Wednesday's show to try to smooth things over with Trump, who got all riled up when O'Donnell said on "The View" that he had been "bankrupt so many times."
"ABC has asked me to say this just to clarify things, and I will quote: 'Donald Trump has never filed for personal bankruptcy. Several of his casino companies have filed for business bankruptcies. They are out of bankruptcy now,' " Walters said.
According to the New York Daily News, Trump's lawyers demanded a retraction.
O'Donnell and Trump have been feuding since he announced last month that Miss USA Tara Conner, whose title had been in jeopardy because of underage drinking, would keep her crown. Trump is the owner of the Miss Universe Organization, which includes Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.
The 44-year-old outspoken moderator of "The View," who joined the show in September, said Trump's news conference with Conner had annoyed her "on a multitude of levels" and that the twice-divorced real estate mogul had no right to be "the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America."