Meryl Streep Has Been Crystal Clear On Her Feelings About Donald Trump

Meryl Streep has undergone some stunning transformations for her work as an actor over the years, which has garnered her a plethora of Oscar wins and nominations. Still, the real person behind the scenes is just as fascinating, as she showed in 2017 when the president-elect Donald Trump dared to throw shade at Streep with a tweet following the Golden Globes. The actor was ready with a perfect comeback, unafraid of how powerful her disparager may have been.

It started after Streep was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the event on January 8, 2017, just 12 days before Trump's inauguration after beating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Accepting the award, Streep took the controversial new president to task over many things.

Trump hit back on his favorite social media platform of the time, Twitter, posting, "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 Hillary flunky who lost big." If Donald Trump thought he got the last word, he didn't know his opponent, because Streep had something to add the following month.

At a fundraiser for the Human Rights Campaign, Streep brought up Trump's tweet about her, saying, "Yes, I am the most overrated, and most over-decorated, and currently, I am the most over-berated actress ...  of my generation." The room erupted in cheers and laughter before Streep turned serious about the fear of "brownshirts" and having "the target on your forehead." That wouldn't keep her silent, though; as she asserted, "You have to stand up, speak up, act up."

Donald Trump and Meryl Streep's exchange of insults in 2017 was hardly the only time Streep has spoken out against the president. Seven years after that public spat, in September 2024, while Trump was yet again running for president, Streep was part of a "Unite for America" livestream with the Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris. The event was meant to promote voter registration and boost support for Harris, who was the vice president at the time.

Aside from host Oprah Winfrey, the event featured an array of notable Hollywood A-listers, including Julia Roberts, Ben Stiller, and Bryan Cranston. It was Streep, however, who made headlines during the livestream by accidentally calling the presidential candidate "President Harris." She followed that up with a dire question: "I think you're going to win, I'm sure you're going to win, but what happens when you win, and he doesn't accept?"

Alas, it was a question which wouldn't need answering, as Trump beat Harris to become the 47th president. That was, no doubt, disheartening for Streep, but she most likely had no regrets in her duty to stand up, speak up, and act up.