After coldly serenading former president Donald trump in her song âDonât Lie to Me,â Barbra Streisand again slams the âtyrant,â saying if the Republican front-runner for 2024 is re-elected, sheâs leaving the United States.
Calling the four-times-indicted Trump âso stupid,â and âill-informed,â the singer and actor recently shared with Stephen Colbert âI canât live in this country if he becomes president.â
But this isnât the first time sheâs made that threat, nor is she the only celebrity who broke their vows of fleeing to Canada, Europe or even Jupiter after Trump last won in 2016.
Barbra Streisand, the 81-year-old treasure wasnât meaning to be a Funny Girl when she said, âYes, Mr. Trump, letâs make America great again. But first, get one thing straight: America was great â before you were elected.â
The long-time Democratic supporter and fundraiser isnât shy over expressing her dislike of the former president and has called him âthe Liar in Chief, the Groper in Chief.â
In 2018, the EGOT (she holds an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) released her 36th album, âWalls,â inspired by the reality show star turned President of the United States.
Speaking with Associated Press about the song, she said, âI wanted to talk about the things that were making me feel so sad, heartbroken.â Streisand continues, âI just canât stand whatâs going on. His assault on our democracy, our institutions, our founders â I think weâre in a fightâŚWeâre in a war for the soul of America.â
The Grammy-nominated album â a musical homage to Trumpâs tyranny â includes songs like âDonât Lie to Me,â which Streisand explains was motivated by the news that made her âsick, listening to lies, listening to things that are such craziness.â
âI canât stand being lied to, and I donât think the country should be lied to either.â She then quips, âAnd I just couldnât comprehend how he could tell all these lies with absolutely no guilt (clearly heâs not Jewish.)â
âArt is the enemy of tyrantsâ
Explaining why sheâs compelled to be politically involved, Streisand sounds off on the friction between politicians and artists in her 2023 memoir, âMy Name is Barbra.â
âWhy does it make so many people angry when artists speak out?â Babs asks. âArtists, Streisand said, can serve as âa countryâs conscience.â Their work gives us a reflection of the times, and sometimes they challenge us to see what others would prefer to ignore. They can give voice to the voiceless, by speaking up when no one else will.â
She adds, âThatâs why art is the enemy of tyrants and dictators.â
Offering her powerful voice unfortunately didnât sway the voting population.
âPlanetâs gone bonkersâ
Ahead of the 2016 elections, the Prince of Tides star told the Australian version of 60 Minutes, âHe has no facts. I donât know, I canât believe it. Iâm either coming to your country [Australia], if youâll let me in, or Canada.â
But Streisand wasnât the only A-list celebrity who claimed they would leave the U.S. if Trump took office.
The Wrap reports that comedian George Lopez joked that heâd go back to Mexico: âIf [Trump] wins, he wonât have to worry about immigration, weâll all go back.â
Chelsea Handler, who voiced her determination to leave, reversed her decision the day after Trumpâs victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton. âYesterday, my staff reminded me that platforms and voices like mine are needed more than ever; leaving the country is quitting.â
Meanwhile, other celebrities were more creative with their escape plans.
Comedian and talk show host Jon Stewart said, âI would consider getting in a rocket and going to another planet, because clearly this planetâs gone bonkers.â
And Cher, tweeted, âIF HE WERE TO BE ELECTED, IM MOVING TO JUPITER.â
Post Trump
After spending âfour years in a dark hole,â the star of 1983âs Yentl told People of President Joe Biden âthe country is certainly headed in the right direction.â The 2021 interview continues, âI love Biden. I love his compassion, his honesty, his integrity, his love of facts, not fiction.â
âSince 2016, weâve been dragged down into the mud of Trumpâs swamp. He has demolished our standing in the world with his laughable boasts and breathtaking ignorance,â she writes in an essay for Variety.
âRestore nobility of truthâ
Now, Streisand is voicing her concerns over the upcoming elections and Trump as the clear Republican frontrunner.
Appearing on an episode of The Late Show, the legendary singer and actor told the host Stephen Colbert, that she wonât tolerate living in a country ruled by the man she earlier called âso stupidâ and âso ill-informed.â
âI canât live in this country if he becomes president,â Streisand said, adding if she relocates, sheâll probably head to England because âI like England.â
âTrump is a man who has never once taken responsibility for his own actions, preferring to blame others when heâs at fault. Even impeachment hasnât humbled him, because thanks to his Republican enablers, he has escaped accountability once again,â she writes.
âWe need a new America, without pollution, without obscenities, without insults, without revenge. We need to restore the nobility of truthâŚand only then will America be great again.â
If Streisand circles back to Canada as a new potential home, sheâll have to act quickly as the Republicans are also calling to build a wall along the border of Canada.
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