After criticizing former President Donald Trump in her song “Don’t Lie to Me,” Barbra Streisand is now saying that if Trump wins re-election in 2024, she’ll leave the U.S.
She called Trump “so stupid” and “ill-informed” and told Stephen Colbert, “I can’t live in this country if he becomes president.”
This isn’t the first time she’s made such a threat, and she’s not the only celebrity who said they’d leave if Trump won.
At 81, Barbra Streisand wasn’t joking when she said, “Yes, Mr. Trump, let’s make America great again. But America was already great before you were elected.”
As a long-time supporter of the Democratic Party, she’s been open about her dislike for Trump, calling him “the Liar in Chief” and “the Groper in Chief.”
In 2018, she released her 36th album, “Walls,” inspired by Trump’s presidency.
In a chat with the Associated Press about her song, Barbra Streisand said she wanted to express how sad and heartbroken she felt. She mentioned, “I just can’t stand what’s happening. His attacks on our democracy and our institutions make it feel like we’re in a fight for the soul of America.”
Her Grammy-nominated album, which critiques Trump’s leadership, features songs like “Don’t Lie to Me.” Streisand said the song was inspired by how sick she felt listening to the lies and craziness in the news.
“I can’t stand being lied to, and I don’t think the country should be lied to either,” she said. She also joked, “I can’t understand how he can lie so much without feeling guilty (he clearly isn’t Jewish).”
Streisand explains her political involvement and the tension between politicians and artists in her 2023 memoir, “My Name is Barbra.”
Barbra Streisand wonders why it upsets so many people when artists speak out. She believes artists act as “a country’s conscience,” reflecting the times and challenging us to see what others might ignore. They can give a voice to those who are unheard by speaking up when no one else will.
She adds, “That’s why art is a threat to tyrants and dictators.”
Despite her powerful voice, it didn’t change the outcome of the elections.
Before the 2016 elections, Streisand told the Australian version of 60 Minutes, “He has no facts. I can’t believe it. I’m thinking of moving to your country [Australia], if you’ll let me in, or to Canada.”
Streisand wasn’t the only celebrity who said they would leave the U.S. if Trump won.
Comedian George Lopez joked that he’d move back to Mexico, saying, “If Trump wins, he won’t have to worry about immigration; we’ll all go back.”
Chelsea Handler initially said she would leave, but changed her mind the day after Trump’s victory. She said, “My team reminded me that my voice is needed now more than ever; leaving the country is like giving up.”
Other celebrities came up with more unusual plans. Comedian Jon Stewart said, “I would consider going to another planet because this one has gone crazy.”
Cher tweeted, “IF HE WERE TO BE ELECTED, IM MOVING TO JUPITER.”
After feeling “four years in a dark hole,” Cher told People that she believes President Joe Biden is leading the country in the right direction. She praised Biden for his compassion, honesty, and respect for facts over fiction.
In an essay for Variety, Cher criticized Trump for damaging America’s global reputation with his arrogance and ignorance.
Now, Barbra Streisand is expressing worries about the upcoming elections and Trump as the leading Republican candidate. On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Streisand said she couldn’t stay in the country if Trump became president. She added that if she moves, she’d probably go to England because she likes it there.
“Trump is a man who has never once taken responsibility for his own actions, preferring to blame others when he’s at fault. Even impeachment hasn’t humbled him, because thanks to his Republican enablers, he has escaped accountability once again,” she writes.
“We need a new America, without pollution, without obscenities, without insults, without revenge. We need to restore the nobility of truth…and only then will America be great again.”
If Streisand circles back to Canada as a new potential home, she’ll have to act quickly as the Republicans are also calling to build a wall along the border of Canada.
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