After coldly serenading the former president in her song “Don’t Lie to Me,” Barbra Streisand has once again slammed Donald Trump, warning that if the Republican front-runner for 2024 wins the election, she’s packing her bags and leaving the United States.
Calling Trump “so stupid” and “ill-informed,” the singer and actor recently shared with Stephen Colbert, “I can’t live in this country if he becomes president.”
But hold onto your hats, folks—this isn’t the first time she’s made this threat, nor is she the only celebrity who promised to flee to Canada, Europe, or even Jupiter after Trump clinched victory in 2016.
The 81-year-old treasure, Barbra Streisand, wasn’t trying to be a Funny Girl when she said, “Yes, Mr. Trump, let’s make America great again. But first, get one thing straight: America was great – before you were elected.”
The long-time Democratic supporter and fundraiser isn’t shy about expressing her dislike of the former president, whom she’s dubbed “the Liar in Chief” and “the Groper in Chief.”
In 2018, the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winner) released her 36th album, “Walls,” inspired by the reality show star turned President of the United States.
Speaking with the Associated Press about the album, she said, “I wanted to talk about the things that were making me feel so sad, heartbroken.” Streisand continues, “I just can’t stand what’s going on. His assault on our democracy, our institutions, our founders – I think we’re in a fight…We’re in a war for the soul of America.”
The Grammy-nominated album – a musical homage to Trump’s tyranny – includes songs like “Don’t Lie to Me,” which Streisand explains was motivated by the news that made her “sick, listening to lies, listening to things that are such craziness.”
“I can’t stand being lied to, and I don’t think the country should be lied to either.” She then quips, “And I just couldn’t comprehend how he could tell all these lies with absolutely no guilt (clearly he’s not Jewish.)”
‘Art is the enemy of tyrants’
Explaining why she’s so politically vocal, Streisand dives into the friction between politicians and artists in her 2023 memoir, “My Name is Barbra.”
“Why does it make so many people angry when artists speak out?” Babs asks. “Artists, Streisand said, can serve as ‘a country’s conscience.’ 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.”
She adds, “That’s why art is the enemy of tyrants and dictators.”
Despite her powerful voice, Streisand’s messages didn’t sway the voting population.
‘Planet’s gone bonkers’
Ahead of the 2016 elections, the Prince of Tides star told the Australian version of 60 Minutes, “He has no facts. I don’t know, I can’t believe it. I’m either coming to your country [Australia], if you’ll let me in, or Canada.”
But Streisand wasn’t the only A-list celebrity who said they’d leave the U.S. if Trump took office.
The Wrap reports that comedian George Lopez joked he’d go back to Mexico: “If [Trump] wins, he won’t have to worry about immigration; we’ll all go back.”
Chelsea Handler, who was determined to leave, had a change of heart the day after Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton. “Yesterday, my staff reminded me that platforms and voices like mine are needed more than ever; leaving the country is quitting.”
Meanwhile, other celebrities had more creative escape plans.
Comedian and talk show host Jon Stewart said, “I would consider getting in a rocket and going to another planet, because clearly this planet’s gone bonkers.”
Cher tweeted, “IF HE WERE TO BE ELECTED, IM MOVING TO JUPITER.”
Post-Trump
After spending “four years in a dark hole,” the star of 1983’s Yentl told People magazine that with President Joe Biden, “the country is certainly headed in the right direction.” The 2021 interview continues, “I love Biden. I love his compassion, his honesty, his integrity, his love of facts, not fiction.”
“Since 2016, we’ve been dragged down into the mud of Trump’s swamp. He has demolished our standing in the world with his laughable boasts and breathtaking ignorance,” she writes in an essay for Variety.
‘Restore nobility of truth’
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 host Stephen Colbert that she won’t tolerate living in a country ruled by the man she earlier called “so stupid” and “so ill-informed.”
“I can’t live in this country if he becomes president,” Streisand said, adding if she relocates, she’ll probably head to England because “I like England.”
“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 Republicans are also calling to build a wall along the border of Canada.
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