After coldly serenading former president Donald Trump in her song “Don’t Lie to Me,” Barbra Streisand has once again voiced her displeasure with the Republican front-runner for 2024, asserting that if Trump is re-elected, she’s ready to leave the United States.
Calling the four-times-indicted Trump “so stupid” and “ill-informed,” the singer and actor candidly shared with Stephen Colbert, “I can’t live in this country if he becomes president.”
This isn’t the first time Streisand has made such a statement, and she’s not the only celebrity who threatened to flee to Canada, Europe, or even Jupiter after Trump won in 2016.
Streisand, the 81-year-old national treasure, didn’t mean to be facetious 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.”
A long-time Democratic supporter and fundraiser, Streisand has been vocal about her disdain for the former president, calling him “the Liar in Chief, the Groper in Chief.”
In 2018, the EGOT winner (she holds an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) released her 36th album, “Walls,” inspired by the reality show star turned President of the United States.
Discussing the album with Associated Press, she explained, “I wanted to talk about the things that were making me feel so sad, heartbroken.” Streisand continued, “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 response to Trump’s administration – features songs like “Don’t Lie to Me,” which Streisand said was inspired by news that made her feel “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 added, before quipping, “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 feels compelled to be politically involved, Streisand touched on 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?” she asked. Streisand believes that artists can serve as “a country’s conscience.” Their work reflects the times and sometimes challenges us to see what others might prefer to ignore. Artists can give voice to the voiceless by speaking up when no one else will.
“That’s why art is the enemy of tyrants and dictators,” she added.
Despite lending her powerful voice to political causes, it unfortunately did not sway voters.
‘Planet’s gone bonkers’
Ahead of 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.”
Streisand wasn’t alone in her sentiments. Comedian George Lopez joked about returning to Mexico: “If [Trump] wins, he won’t have to worry about immigration, we’ll all go back.”
Chelsea Handler, who initially promised to leave the country, reversed her decision 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,” she stated.
Meanwhile, other celebrities had more imaginative 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.”
And Cher tweeted, “IF HE WERE TO BE ELECTED, IM MOVING TO JUPITER.”
Post Trump
Following four tumultuous years, Streisand said of President Joe Biden, “the country is certainly headed in the right direction.” In the 2021 interview, she expressed her admiration for Biden, saying, “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 wrote in an essay for Variety.
‘Restore nobility of truth’
Now, as the country anticipates the upcoming elections and Trump remains the clear Republican frontrunner, Streisand continues to voice her concerns.
Appearing on an episode of “The Late Show,” the legendary singer and actor reiterated to Stephen Colbert that she would not tolerate living under another Trump administration. “I can’t live in this country if he becomes president,” she stated, mentioning that she might move 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 wrote.
“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.”
Should Streisand revisit her plans to relocate to Canada, she might need to act quickly, as there are calls within the Republican party to build a wall along the Canadian border as well.
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