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.”
