Barbra Streisand is defending Hollywood stars who speak out about politics, opening up about her friendship with former President Clinton and calling former President Trump a liar in her new memoir.
“Yes, I have opinions. And it is my right to express them, just like any other citizen,” the “Funny Girl” actor writes in “My Name is Barbra,” released Tuesday.
“Actually, I think it’s our responsibility,” Streisand, a longtime Democratic supporter and fundraiser, said.
In the book, the 81-year-old EGOT winner questioned the criticism of celebrities who weigh in on politics.
“What is the artist’s political role? Why does it make so many people angry when artists speak out?” she asked.
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,” Streisand wrote.
“That’s why art is the enemy of tyrants and dictators,” she said.
“I believe we all have not only the right, but the responsibility to be politically active and to question authority,” she said.
The legendary performer took aim at several prominent Republicans, including Trump and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.).
“I was appalled by Gingrich,” she wrote.
“Once, he was standing behind me at a state dinner for Tony Blair and said, ‘I’m your fan,’” the singer recalled.
“I just couldn’t help myself. I said, ‘I’m your enemy.'"
Streisand also ripped Trump, saying the 45th president “lies as easily as he breathes.”
“I can’t stand being lied to, and I don’t think the country should be lied to either,” Streisand wrote, before quipping of Trump, “And I just couldn’t comprehend how he could tell all these lies with absolutely no guilt (clearly he’s not Jewish.)”
Streisand expressed shock at Trump’s 2016 White House win, saying of the New York real estate developer, “You wouldn’t go to a doctor who has no qualifications or experience in treating your disease. Why on earth would people want to entrust our country to a narcissist whose lack of experience, recklessness, and blatant disregard for the truth made him completely unfit to be president?”
“What worried me was that the younger generation would emulate this man, who showed no kindness or empathy for other human beings,” she said.
Streisand also detailed her more than 30-year friendship with Clinton, after being “blown away” when hearing him speak in 1992 while eyeing a Democrat to put her star power behind in the presidential race.
“They were the most appealing couple,” Streisand said of Bill and Hillary Clinton, describing the then-Arkansas governor as “smart and charismatic.”
Streisand said she even felt compelled to call up Clinton after he appeared in a televised address following his 1998 federal grand jury testimony about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
Clinton, Streisand said, had “admitted that what he had done was wrong and took full responsibility. And yet, looking at it as a director, I felt there was a disconnect between his words and the feelings he was trying to express.”
“So you know me…I had to tell him, because he was my friend, and I knew how painful this must be,” Streisand wrote.
“When I eventually reached him by phone, I said that I thought he sounded too angry, which undercut his apology,” she recalled.
“I was hesitant to even seem to be criticizing him, because that’s the last thing he needed. But he agreed with me. He wished he had come off as contrite as he felt.”
Streisand also wrote that despite her political involvement, she has never had an interest in running for office herself.
Looking back on a 1993 news story that claimed she was planning a Senate bid, Streisand wrote, “Trust me, the last thing I want is to wake up every morning and go to Congress. I already have acid reflux.”
