California - Donald Trump hit back at Meryl Streep on
Monday, calling her an overrated actress after the three-time
Oscar winner condemned the US President-elect's imitation of a
disabled reporter.
Streep had turned an acceptance speech at Sunday's Golden
Globe awards into a blistering attack on Trump. "This instinct
to humiliate when it's modeled by someone in the public platform
by someone powerful, it filters down into everybody's life," she
said.
Streep and much of Hollywood supported Trump's rival,
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, in the November election.
Trump, a Republican, wrote on Twitter: "Meryl Streep, one of
the most overrated actresses in Hollywood, doesn't know me but
attacked last night at the Golden Globes.
"She is a Hillary flunky who lost big."
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 tweets were Trump's second public response to the Streep
speech. Early on Monday, he said in a telephone interview with
the New York Times: "People keep saying I intended to mock the
reporter's disability, as if Meryl Streep and others could read
my mind, and I did no such thing."
Streep was referring to a 2015 incident at a South Carolina
rally where Trump flailed his arms and slurred in his speech in
apparent ridicule of New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski,
who has a physical disability.
In his Twitter comments, Trump repeated his denial that he
had mocked the reporter.
Streep, without naming Trump, used almost the entire speech
when accepting the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award
to criticize the real estate mogul's behavior and policies,
while calling for Hollywood to stand strong against any attacks
and to support a free press.