Rosie O’Donnell has apologized after she branded the Minneapolis school shooter who murdered two children a MAGA Republican.
The comedian, known for her longstanding animosity towards Donald Trump, which even prompted her to move to Ireland after his election victory, expressed her thoughts about Robin Westman on TikTok this Friday.
‘The news of the Minnesota shooting took me back to Columbine in 1999 when I just couldn’t grasp that American students were shooting each other in schools,’ she remarked.
‘This incident occurred in a church within a Catholic school. And unsurprisingly, it was carried out by a white male, someone associated with the Republican, MAGA philosophy, and white supremacy.’
Despite her claims, Westman was a self-identified transgender woman who had a nihilistic viewpoint and an obsession with past mass shooters.
Notably she also he had the words ‘kill Donald Trump’ scrawled in white on one of the weapons she owned, as well as racist and anti-Semitic messages.
By Sunday, O’Donnell expressed regret for her remarks, stating: ‘I understand that many of you were upset by the video I posted before taking a short break. You are justified, and I realize I didn’t thoroughly research before making that emotional statement.’
‘I made incorrect assumptions about the shooter. I presumed, like many, that they fit the common profile and shared typical beliefs, such as being supporters of the NRA and gun enthusiasts.’
Rosie O’Donnell apologized after calling the Minnesota school shooter who killed two people at a Catholic church a MAGA Republican
Westman, seen here, had the words ‘kill Donald Trump’ scrawled on one of the weapons she owned, as well as racist and anti-Semitic messages.
‘The truth is, I messed up and when you mess up, you fess up. I’m sorry, this is my apology video and I hope it’s enough,’ O’Donnell finished.
Westman opened fire through stained glass at children who were praying inside the pews of Annunciation Catholic School’s church around 8:30 AM local time on Wednesday.
Westman, who changed her name from Robert in 2019, was armed with three guns – a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol, police said. Westman fired all three weapons, which police said were purchased legally, during the attack.
Two children aged eight and 10 were killed and at least 17 other victims – 14 children and three 80-year-old parishioners – were injured.
The shooter then turned the gun on herself. Westman’s body was found inside the church.
Westman, who was identified by police sources to multiple outlets, did not have a criminal history and the motive remains a mystery.
However, a chilling video shared on a now-deleted YouTube account appears to reveal the killer’s sick manifesto.
In the 20-minute-long video, she showed off her kill kit of ammunition, magazines and firearms and revealed her twisted obsession with other school shooters, dislike of Trump and mockery of the church.
Westman, who changed her name from Robert in 2019, was armed with three guns – a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol , police said
A parent hugs her son during an active shooter situation at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis
Westman also showed the camera pages of handwritten notes in a final letter to her family and friends.
In the letter, Westman said she believed she had cancer caused by a vaping habit.
‘I think I am dying of cancer. It’s a tragic end as it’s entirely self inflicted. I did this to myself as I cannot control myself and have been destroying my body through vaping and other means,’ the shooter wrote.
Westman went on to write that she wanted ‘to go out on my own means’.
‘Unfortunately, due to my depression, anger and twisted mid, I want to fulfill a final act that has been in the back of my head for years,’ Westman wrote.
The note was signed with the name ‘Robin M Westman, 2002-2025’ and what appeared to be a bird drawing.
As well as the warped letter, the video also showed a stash of gun cartridges, with white writing scrawled on them.
Several school shooters’ names including ‘Lanza’ for Sandy Hook mass shooter Adam Lanza was seen on some of the cartridges.
