A viral TikTok post from Rosie O’Donnell sparked controversy when she asserted that the Minneapolis school shooter was a “Republican, MAGA white supremacist.” However, official investigations and social media archives reveal that the 23-year-old attacker, Robin Westman, had expressed hostility toward Trump, even scrawling “Kill Donald Trump” on a rifle magazine.
Westman’s writings and videos, recovered from before the shooting, include antisemitic slurs, racist remarks, and expressions of gender identity frustration. There is no evidence linking them to MAGA, the Republican Party, or white supremacist groups.
After facing backlash, O’Donnell expanded her critique to indict broader political figures and institutions, including the NRA, Donald Trump, and conservative think tanks—all within a conspiratorial narrative that accumulated widespread attention.
Critics argue the social media post distorted the shooter’s identity, unnecessarily politicized the tragedy, and spread confusion during a sensitive investigation focused on motive and extremism.