Trump v. Rosie Round 4: Ceasefire?

LOS ANGELES (December 23, 2006) — Is this the end of the Donald Trump/Rosie O?Donnell feud? After two days of rants against Rosie, Trump finally fell silent Friday. According to Trump?s reps, the Donald is vacationing in Mara-A-Lago with his family for the holidays. And on Rosie?s end? The outspoken host of ?The View,? who angered Trump originally by speaking out against The Donald and his recent Miss USA press conference, kept mum too. With Rosie on holiday with her family in Miami, there were no updates to Rosie.com, the TV personality?s website, or on ?The View,? which ran a pre-taped episode to close out the week.Thursday eveninghowever, Trump came out swinging yet again, calling ?Larry King Live? during a plane ride to fuel the controversy.

?I thought it was disgraceful,? Trump said regarding Rosie?s rant in which she branded him a ?snake oil salesman.? ?I mean here’s a horrible human being, a terrible woman. She looks bad and she sounds bad. And believe me, as bad as she looks, she’s worse inside.?

Rosie, who declined an invitation to appear on Larry?s show, suggested on Wednesday?s ?The View,? that Trump?s staging of a Miss USA press conference Tuesday (which allowed Tara Conner to keep her crown), was a publicity stunt for his upcoming installment of ?The Apprentice.? She further questioned his ability to give the beauty queen a second chance, wondering aloud how with two divorces and previous infidelity indiscretions he was in a position to be the ?moral compass? for 20-year-olds.

Responding, Trump said, ? She was very offended that I gave a nice young lady a second chance. I gave her a second chance because she has a problem. She’s getting the problem taken care of,? he told Larry King. ?Rosie thought it was terrible that I gave her a second chance. Of course, Rosie has given — she’s given women many, many second chances — only women.?

On Wednesday evening Trump called Rosie a ?loser? on Access Hollywood and he employed the same phrasing on King?s show. ?Rosie is a loser. You know it and I know it,? he stated. ?She is not a good person. She makes false statements and she is not a good person. She’s a bully and all I did to a bully was hit her right between the eyes. And she folds up like a tent.?

Trump?s ?tent? folding comment may refer to Rosie?s decision not to respond with an extended outburst of her own on Thursday morning?s ?The View.? Though Trump said he had a lawsuit in the works and suggested she ?be careful because I?ll send one of my friends to pick up her girlfriend,? Rosie?s response was minimal.

Posting the bankruptcy section of the Wikipedia entry for Donald Trump on her website, www.rosie.com, the host simply wrote: ?I will let u (sic) know if the Donald sues me/or if Kelli leaves me for one of his pals/don?t u find him charming.?

She kept her comments on ?The View? Thursday tame as well, pulling a face as her response and pointing at her partner seated in the audience. ?Look who?s here today, Kelli,? Rosie said. ?I was afraid to leave her at home in case someone with a comb over stole her.?

Though Trump avoided talk of stealing Rosie?s partner, he did claim again that Rosie would ruin ?The View.? Barbara Walters, in a statement released yesterday, said that wasn?t the case. “Donald Trump is a personal friend of mine and has been a good friend of ?The View? for many years,? she wrote. ?I’m sorry there is friction between Donald and Rosie. That said, I do not regret for one moment my choice to hire Rosie O’Donnell as the moderator of ?The View.? I certainly hope and expect that this tempest will pass quickly.”

Trump then questioned the spirit of Walters? statement. ?I can tell you for a fact that that’s not what Barbara told me,? he told King. ?Barbara is not a fan of Rosie. She’s embarrassed by Rosie. She doesn’t like Rosie. And I guess she can’t say that publicly. But trust me, Larry, that’s what she told me over the phone.?

He further added he was responsible for ?The View?s? rating increase.

?Their ratings are up ?. because of people like me,? he said. ?They get us. Look at Danny DeVito on ?The View.? He goes on there. I saw a clip of it. He’s a friend of mine. He’s a great guy. He was fantastic on ?The View.? They made him look like he’s an alcoholic, like he’s a drunk. He wasn’t drunk. They made him look that way.?

As for when the feud may end? Trump weighed in on that too. ?It?s never over with me, Larry,? he told the host.

At press time, ?The View?? was on holiday and could not be reached for comment.

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