Donald Trump's long-running feud with actress and comedian Rosie O' Donnell was granted a fresh chapter Thursday as the pair traded blows over the president' firing of James Comey.
Related: Trump: I Would Have Fired 'Showboat' James Comey Absent DOJ Advice
Trump, on this occasion, was the instigator, citing a five-month-old tweet from O'Donnell as evidence of support for his controversial dismissal of Comey on Tuesday. It did not take long for O'Donnell, whom Trump has previously labeled a "pig," to fire back with both barrels.
"U don't even realize the kind of trouble u r in - comeys people believe in him - for real - they have the proof - u r a sadistic man," she tweeted.
- u don't even realize the kind of trouble u r in - comeys people believe in him - for real - they have the proof - u r a sadistic man #USA
— ROSIE (@Rosie) May 11, 2017
The exchange continued a war of words between the two that has now lasted more than a decade. It began in December 2006 after O'Donnell, then as co-host of The View, called Trump a "snake-oil salesman." Since then Trump has repeatedly called her a "loser." And the reality television host did not put a halt in his insults when entering politics.
Indeed, it became a prominent part of the presidential campaign. In the first Republican debate, moderator Megyn Kelly questioned Trump about his use of terms like "fat pigs," "dogs," "slobs" and "disgusting animals" to describe some women. Trump fired back with "only Rosie O'Donnell."
Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton used the comments to attack Trump as sexist during a debate.
But Thursday marks the first time that Trump has dipped into their feud since becoming president.
His citing of an old O'Donnell tweet calling for Comey to be fired as evidence that his decision this week was justified follows a pattern the White House has trotted out since Thursday's shock decision. Trump and his advisers have repeatedly cited Democrats' criticisms of Comey over his handling of an investigation into Clinton's emails. Clinton and other Democrats have cited Comey's disclosing of new information about the investigation 11 days ahead of the election as a major reason for her loss last November.
Democrats have widely condemned Trump's dismissal of Comey during an investigation he was leading into potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.
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