Meryl Streep takes aim at Donald Trump in emotional Golden Globes speech
DONALD Trump has branded Meryl Streep a “Hillary lover” after she took him down in an epic Golden Globes speech.
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US President-elect Donald Trump has fired back at Hollywood actress Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes speech, calling her “overrated” and a “Hillary lover”.
Mr Trump took to Twitter, his preferred method of communication, to have a go at Streep who criticised the incoming president as a bully who disrespected and humiliated others.
“Meryl Streep, one of the most overrated actresses in Hollywood, doesn’t know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes,” Mr Trump tweeted. “She is a Hillary flunky who lost big.”
The three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep berated Mr Trump for his divisive rhetoric as she received a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes.
Meryl Streep, one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood, doesn't know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes. She is a.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2017
Hillary flunky who lost big. For the 100th time, I never "mocked" a disabled reporter (would never do that) but simply showed him.......
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2017
"groveling" when he totally changed a 16 year old story that he had written in order to make me look bad. Just more very dishonest media!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2017
The 67-year-old fought to control her emotions as she received a standing ovation during her acceptance speech for the Cecil B DeMille Award, handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Streep repeatedly criticised Mr Trump and his remarks targeting various groups, including foreigners and journalists, while accepting the award for career achievement.
In her speech, Streep made mention of the disabled reporter Mr Trump mocked at a rally last year, saying, “It kind of broke my heart when I saw it, and I still can’t get it out of my head.”
Mr Trump took to Twitter to refute accusations that he had mocked the man.
“For the 100th time, I never ‘mocked’ a disabled reporter (would never do that) but simply showed him “groveling” when he totally changed a 16 year old story that he had written in order to make me look bad. Just more very dishonest media!”
Mr Trump’s senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, joined Mr Trump in criticising Streep, saying the actress’ speech left her “concerned.”
“I’m concerned that somebody with a platform like Meryl Streep is also, I think, inciting people’s worst instincts,” Conway said on Fox & Friends. “When she won’t get up there and say, ‘I didn’t like it, but let’s try to support him and see where we can find some common ground with him.’ Which he has actually done from moment one. The moment he won, he said I’m going to be president for [all people].”
.@KellyannePolls: I'm concerned that somebody with a platform like Meryl Streep's is inciting people's worst instincts pic.twitter.com/QjITaedKnV
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 9, 2017
Streep’s speech silenced the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and her remarks immediately became a trending topic on Twitter.
“You and all of us in this room belong to the most vilified segments of America right now: Hollywood, foreigners, and the press,” she said, with a hoarse voice, as the crowd roared.
In a short telephone call with the New York Times, Mr Trump said he wasn’t surprised that he had come under attack from “liberal movie people”.
The President-elect — who had not heard Streep’s remarks nor seen any of the Golden Globes telecast — dismissed Streep as a “Hillary flunky who lost big”.
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“But who are we? And, you know, what is Hollywood anyway? It’s just a bunch of people from other places.” Streep spoke out with less than two weeks to go until the inauguration of Trump, who ran a divisive presidential campaign vilifying Mexicans and calling for a ban on Muslim immigration.
She tore strips off Trump for the infamous campaign speech during which he did a decidedly unflattering impression of disabled reporter Serge Kovaleski — the Republican president-elect denies mocking the man.
There has never been anyone like Meryl Streep. I love her. #GoldenGlobes
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 9, 2017
How DARE Meryl exercise her right to free speech like that's a thing we are allowed to do here in Ameri- wait...hmm. #MerylStreep
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) January 9, 2017
Meryl Streep giving an epic and powerful speech at the #GoldenGlobes. ðŸ‘ðŸ»ðŸ‘ðŸ»ðŸ‘ðŸ»
— Jesse Tyler Ferguson (@jessetyler) January 9, 2017
“An actor’s only job is to enter the lives of people and let you feel what that feels like … (but) there was one performance this year that stunned me,” she said.
“It sank its hooks in my heart. It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled New York Times reporter — someone he outranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back,” she said.
“Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence. And when the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose.”
She has never been more graceful than tonight, nearly w/out voice, her voice has never been so strong. TY Meryl Streep. #GoldenGlobes
— Sharon Stone (@sharonstone) January 9, 2017
Meryl Streep changes the world by waking us up with a kiss on the forehead
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) January 9, 2017
God Bless you Meryl Streep!
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) January 9, 2017
The actor anticipated blowback from Trump supporters, saying at one point during her speech.
She then proceeded to list where some of the actors and actresses in the audience were born and raised.
“Hollywood is crawling with foreigners, so if you kick them all out you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts.”
Streep also called upon the press to hold Mr Trump to account.
“We need a principled press to call him to account, on every outrage ... that’s why our founders enshrined the freedom of the press.”
The legendary actress concluded her speech by stressing the importance of the Committee to Protect Journalists and the need to safeguard the truth.
She finished her speech with a quote from her friend, the actor Carrie Fisher, who died on December 27, aged 60.
“As my dear friend Princess Leia said: ‘take your broken heart and make it art,” she said.
Streep, overcome by emotion, covered her mouth as she walked away from the microphone.
The official Golden Globes Twitter account started a hashtag #StandWithStreep, which got picked up after she finished her speech.
But Trump supporters fired back, with some calling for like-minded voters to boycott Streep’s films.
Fox host Meghan McCain was among the first to shoot back at Streep’s speech.
This Meryl Streep speech is why Trump won. And if people in Hollywood don't start recognizing why and how - you will help him get re-elected
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) January 9, 2017
Many other users posted messages to the effect that they were eagerly waiting for Trump to unleash on Streep in one of his typical Twitter dumps.
Actor Chris Pine thanked Streep for her speech after the Globes returned from a commercial break.
Viola Davis, who won the best supporting actress film award for her permanence in Fences, presented the award to her Doubt co-star.
“You make me proud to be an artist. You make me feel like what I have in me — my body, my face, my age — is enough,” Davis said.
Streep was nominated this year for best actress in a comedy for Florence Foster Jenkins, but lost to La La Land’s Emma Stone.
The annual DeMille award honours those who have made “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.” Recent winners include Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Jodie Foster, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
Originally published as Meryl Streep takes aim at Donald Trump in emotional Golden Globes speech
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