As the first presidential debate drew to a close Monday night, Republican nominee Donald Trump resurrected his nasty, decade-long feud with comedian and former "The View" co-host Rosie O'Donnell.
During an exchange over Trump's history of making sexist remarks about women ("pigs, slobs, and dogs"), the real estate mogul reiterated a claim he had made in a GOP primary debate this summer — that his insults were largely directed at O'Donnell.
“Rosie O’Donnell — I said very tough things to her, and I think everybody would agree that she deserves it and nobody feels sorry for her,” Trump said.
To be specific, Trump has called O'Donnell a "degenerate," a "pig," a “slob,” a “loser,” "dumb," "desperate," and "fat."
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O'Donnell responded Monday, tweeting footage of the nearly 6-minute segment from a 2006 episode of "The View" which spawned their dispute, proclaimed "he will never be president," and called Trump an "orange anus."
In the footage, O'Donnell goes on a rant about Trump following a controversy involving his Miss USA beauty pageant and its reining winner at the time, Tara Conner. After it was revealed that Conner had abused drugs and alcohol, Trump held a press conference in which he declared he is a "believer in second chances" and chose not to fire her.
O'Donnell impersonated Trump, called him a "snake oil salesman," and — in a precursor of a line of attack picked up by Hillary Clinton and Democrats years later — criticized him for benefiting from a sizable loan from his father and from declaring bankruptcy several times.
“He annoys me on a multitude of levels,” O’Donnell said at the time. “He’s the moral authority? 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?”
Ironically, the special guest on the episode on which O'Donnell launched her attack was then Sen. Clinton.
The two celebrities have traded barbs both in public and over social media ever since, with the majority of the ire coming straight from Trump's cellphone.
And while O'Donnell, who has headlined a fundraiser for Clinton, certainly may not be popular in Republican circles, Trump's supporters were still stunned that their standard-bearer was dedicating precious debate time to re-litigating their past squabbles.
