What do the world’s richest man, a Muslim immigrant running for mayor of New York City, and a comedian best known for her feud with a former president have in common?

They’re now all targets of the Trump administration’s new push to revoke U.S. citizenship—after President Donald Trump publicly floated the idea of denaturalizing or deporting each of them.

In a string of remarks made over the past two weeks, Trump has hinted that he would consider deporting Elon Musk, arresting and denaturalizing NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, and stripping Rosie O’Donnell—who was born in New York—of her citizenship altogether.

The threats come amid an intensifying effort inside Trump’s Department of Justice to reinstate and expand the denaturalization office he opened during his first term, signaling a sharp pivot toward using immigration law as a political weapon.

“We don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over him very carefully,” Trump said of Mamdani, falsely implying the Democratic Socialist is in the country illegally. Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and became a U.S. citizen in 2018, would be the first Muslim and South Asian mayor in New York City’s history.

Trump’s attacks have prompted intense backlash, with legal experts warning of a disturbing new era of politicized citizenship.

“This is a totally different chapter of going after your political enemies that has no precedent,” said Muzaffar Chishti of the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. “Political animus has never raised its ugly head in our denaturalization process like this.”

When asked whether he would deport Musk, who became a U.S. citizen in 2002, Trump said: “I don’t know, we’ll have to take a look.” Musk, in response, posted cryptically on X: “So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.”

Then came Rosie O’Donnell. Trump—reviving their long-running feud—posted on Truth Social: “I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship,” and called the U.S.-born comedian a “Threat to Humanity.”

O’Donnell, who recently moved to Ireland with her 12-year-old child and is seeking Irish citizenship, fired back: “Go ahead and try, King Joffrey with a tangerine spray tan. I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”

But legal experts say these threats are largely unconstitutional—especially in O’Donnell’s case.

“Under the law, there is no mechanism for any natural-born United States citizen to lose their citizenship other than by renunciation or death,” said immigration attorney Matthew Hoppock. “Even if Congress created some law making it possible, the Supreme Court has held that such a law would be unconstitutional.”

Nonetheless, the DOJ under Trump has already filed five new denaturalization cases since his second term began. A memo obtained by CNN shows that Attorney General Pam Bondi is directing prosecutors to prioritize denaturalization “in all cases permitted by law,” especially targeting people deemed “a potential danger to national security.”

But critics say the Trump administration is using these powers as a form of retaliation, not justice.

“It’s an extremely concerning signal from a President that seems to have no concern for the Constitution,” Hoppock said.

The chilling effect is already rippling through immigrant communities and civil rights groups. Chishti warns that the threats will not just intimidate celebrities—but everyday Americans.

“People, even naturalized citizens, will start being careful about anything they say,” he said. “Because even the success of the case is not important. It’s the fact that exercising your First Amendment rights could land you in a denaturalization proceeding. That’s very troubling.”

So far, the White House has dismissed criticism, with Press Secretary Abigail Jackson calling legal experts who raised concerns “biased Democrats.” Trump, meanwhile, has continued lashing out at those who question his intentions—labeling them part of a “hoax” to undermine his authority.

As the 2026 election season heats up, Trump’s threats against Musk, Mamdani, and O’Donnell may prove to be more than bluster—they could become the legal testing grounds for a broader authoritarian project.

And if successful, critics warn, the next wave of targets may not be celebrities at all. It could be you.