After singing coldly to former President Donald Trump in her song “Don’t Lie to Me,” Barbra Streisand has again criticized the “tyrant.” She says that if the Republican front-runner for 2024 is re-elected, she’s leaving the United States.
She called Trump “so stupid” and “ill-informed” during a recent talk with Stephen Colbert, saying, “I can’t live in this country if he becomes president.”
This isn’t the first time she’s made that threat, and she’s not the only celebrity who said they would flee to Canada, Europe, or even Jupiter after Trump won in 2016.
Barbra Streisand, the 81-year-old icon, wasn’t trying to be funny 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 showing her dislike for the former president. She has called him “the Liar in Chief” and “the Groper in Chief.”
In 2018, the EGOT winner (she holds an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) released her 36th album, “Walls,” which was inspired by the reality show star turned President of the United States.
Speaking with the Associated Press about her song, Barbra Streisand said, “I wanted to talk about the things that were making me feel so sad and heartbroken.” She continued, “I just can’t stand what’s going on. His attack 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 tribute to Trump’s tyranny, includes songs like “Don’t Lie to Me.” Streisand explained that this song was inspired by the news that made her “sick, listening to lies and all the craziness.”
“I can’t stand being lied to, and I don’t think the country should be lied to either.” She added humorously, “And I just couldn’t understand how he could tell all these lies with absolutely no guilt (clearly he’s not Jewish).”
‘Art is the enemy of tyrants.’
Streisand explained why she feels the need to be politically involved. She talks about the tension 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. She believes artists can serve as “a country’s conscience.” Their work reflects the times, and sometimes they challenge us to see what others want to ignore. Artists 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.”
Sadly, her powerful voice did not change the voting population.
‘Planet’s gone bonkers’
Before the 2016 elections, the star of *The Prince of Tides* 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 famous celebrity who said they would 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 also said she would leave but changed her mind the day after Trump’s victory over Democrat 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 came up with 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, I’M MOVING TO JUPITER.”
**Post Trump**
After spending “four years in a dark hole,” the star of 1983’s *Yentl* told *People* that President Joe Biden means “the country is certainly headed in the right direction.” In the 2021 interview, she said, “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 ruined our standing in the world with his laughable boasts and breathtaking ignorance,” she wrote in an essay for *Variety.*
**‘Restore nobility of truth’**
Now, Streisand is voicing her worries about the upcoming elections and Trump as the clear Republican frontrunner.
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 called “so stupid” and “so ill-informed.”
“I can’t live in this country if he becomes president,” Streisand said, adding that if she relocates, she’ll probably go to England because “I like England.”
“Trump is a man who has never taken responsibility for his own actions. He prefers to blame others when he’s at fault. Even impeachment hasn’t humbled him, because thanks to his Republican supporters, he has escaped accountability once again,” she writes.
“We need a new America, without pollution, without insults, and without revenge. We need to restore the nobility of truth… and only then will America be great again.”
If Streisand considers Canada as a new home, she’ll need to act fast since Republicans are also calling for a wall along the Canadian border.
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