Daily Mail reports Rosie O’Donnell has defended questioning if Barron Trump is autistic by explaining that her own daughter has the condition and that she recognizes the signs.
The comedian penned an emotional message to fans on her website on Saturday after sparking fury among Twitter followers earlier in the week when she shared a video which suggested the president-elect’s 10-year-old son is autistic.
Insisting that her post was ‘from the heart’, she said it had ‘nothing’ to do with her old foe Donald Trump.
‘I have no ill will for his children or any children,’ said O’Donnell, adding that her own daughter, three-year-old Dakota, was diagnosed with high functioning autism in September.
The row began on Monday when O’Donnell shared an anti-bullying video of Trump’s son. It speculated that he may be autistic based on the way he clapped during an appearance at the Democratic National Convention.
It was uploaded by YouTube user James Hunter under the title ‘Is Barron Trump Autistic? #StopTheBullying‘ and has over 2million views since it was first shared on November 11.
Reposting the video, O’Donnell wrote: ‘Barron Trump autistic? If so – what an amazing opportunity to bring attention to the AUTISM epidemic.’
She was inundated by angry parents and social media users who described the post as ‘evil’. Many said it was a new low in her ongoing, public spat with Trump.
‘Rosie, as a parent of a child with autism – I am extremely insulted. This wasn’t meant to help raise awareness. Just plain cruel,’ said one.