Essay 1541

From The New York Post…

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TRUMP BLABS ON BABS
TAUNT FOR ROSIE — WALTERS HATES YOU

By PAULA FROELICH and TODD VENEZIA

Donald Trump lowered the boom on Rosie O’Donnell yesterday — telling the corpulent commentator that “The View” boss Barbara Walters has been saying nasty things behind her back like a high-school drama queen.

In a “Dear Rosie” letter, the big-mouthed building baron claims Walters has been “lying” to Rosie — and she told The Donald the decision to hire O’Donnell was like getting “into the mud with pigs” and that working with her is like “living in hell.”

Trump’s mean-spirited missive came a day after Page Six exclusively reported that O’Donnell and Walters had a massive backstage fight before they went on television and made nice Monday.

O’Donnell was angry that Walters didn’t give her more support while Trump was going around last month calling her names like “slob” and “loser.”

Yesterday, Trump told Rosie that she didn’t know the half of it.

“An article in today’s New York Post indicates that you blew up at Barbara Walters for being a ‘liar.’ Actually, I don’t blame you, but in fact she lied to both of us!” he wrote.

Trump went on to say that after the feud started last month — when Rosie blasted Trump for how he handed the debacle over hard-partying Miss USA — Walters called him and asked him not to be too hard on her co-host.

“After your maniacal and foolish rant against me two weeks ago, Barbara called me from her vacation (I did not call her) in order to apologize for your behavior,” Trump wrote, referring to how Rosie mocked Trump’s hair on “The View.”

“She had heard that I was going to retaliate against you and tried to talk me out of it. She very much wanted me to go on the show as soon as she got back so that she could ‘patch things up’ (I said no).

“To be exact, she said that ‘working with her is like living in hell’ and, more pointedly, ‘Donald, never get into the mud with pigs’ and ‘don’t worry, she won’t be here for long.’”

Such a scathing statement from Walters would be a far cry from her public support of O’Donnell during the height of her feud with Trump last month. At that time, Walters said, “I do not regret for one moment my choice to hire Rosie O’Donnell.”

Yesterday, O’Donnell told The Post: “I love Barbara Walters — I always have and always will.”

And a publicist for both O’Donnell and Walters denied there was any friction between the two.

“It’s over — it’s business as usual,” said rep Cindi Berger. “They are strong and united. They will walk out on the show tomorrow hand in hand.”

While the over-hyped feud has been a win-win for everybody in terms of p.r. exposure, Trump’s brutal letter takes the ribbing even further.

Trump writes that Walters has been regretting hiring her since the comic replaced Star Jones on the show. Trump writes that “when I saw [Walters] eating at Le Cirque about two months ago and asked how ‘Rosie was doing,’ she sarcastically rolled her eyes and said, ‘Donald, do you have to ruin my meal.’”

Additional reporting by Michael Starr