Rosie O'Donnell defended a Nov. 22 tweet that included a video that speculates that Barron, President-elect Donald Trump's youngest son, is autistic.
In a clarifying message on her website on Nov. 26, O'Donnell claimed the post was "from the heart," and that it had "nothing" to do with her bitter feud with Donald Trump.
"When I saw the anti bullying video that mentioned Barron, it spoke to the symptoms many ASD kids have. It was educational and informational," said O'Donnell, whose own daughter, three-year-old Dakota, was diagnosed with high functioning autism in September.
"This autism subject had nothing to do with Donald though i admit he does trigger me in all ways," she added. "I have no ill will for his children or any children and if u knew anything about me u would know that."
The video O'Donnell tweeted speculates that Barron may be autistic because of the way he clapped during an appearance at the Republican National Convention in July.
Originally created by YouTube user James Hunter and titled "Is Barron Trump Autistic? #StopTheBullying" the video has generated over 2 million views since it was first posted on Nov. 11.
Sharing the video, O'Donnell wrote: "Barron Trump autistic? If so - what an amazing opportunity to bring attention to the AUTISM epidemic."
She was criticized by many of her followers for bringing undue attention to Trump's son and his possible condition.
In defense of her position, O'Donnell clarified she did not create the video she shared and that she is able to pick up on certain signs of the disorder due to being the parent of an autistic child.
"Not my movie clip – lots of us – who raise autistic children notice things many would miss... somethings felt familiar #NOshameAUTISM," she tweeted on Nov. 23.
Source:
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/rosie-odonnell-under-fire-speculating-whether-barron-trump-autistic?fb=rwn
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