Rosie O’Donnell and Bill O’Reilly recently squared off on Chris Cuomo’s show, and things got heated fast. O’Donnell, known for her vocal criticism of former President Donald Trump, found herself in a tense exchange with O’Reilly over the state of American democracy and the legacy of the Trump presidency.

“I agree with you [Bill] and I think that no matter who wins in November, this country has a lot of healing to do. We have to forgive each other for our trespasses and our misconceptions. And then try to reunite as one country, united, and that’s the dangerous thing that’s happening when I say, Chris, Democracy is on trial. It’s because without this, we’re nothing as a nation. We have to get everyone back together again in some way,” O’Donnell said.

But O’Reilly wasn’t buying it. “Okay, but Rosie with all due respect, you’re not going to be successful saying ‘democracy is on trial’ and anybody who supports Donald Trump is a fascist. You’re not. I mean those people are going to reject you 100% because there’s a lot more to it than you are presenting,” he fired back.

The tension only escalated from there. O’Donnell called Trump a “dictator” and accused him of causing unnecessary deaths due to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. O’Reilly countered by pointing out Trump’s role in Operation Warp Speed, which led to the rapid development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

“Operation Warp Speed, he definitely brought the vaccine. He was slow at the beginning, and then he got cold feet about the vaccine when people went anti-vax on him. That’s the story that the American people have to reconcile with their vote in November,” Cuomo interjected.

The debate didn’t end there, with both sides passionately defending their perspectives on Trump’s presidency, the state of American democracy, and the impact of COVID-19. The clash between O’Donnell and O’Reilly serves as a microcosm of the deep political divisions that continue to grip the nation.