What Bette Midler Said About Melania Trump Is Sparking An Uproar
First lady Melania Trump took to the podium during the Republican National Convention on Aug. 25, 2020, to endorse her husband, President Donald Trump. Melania spoke from the Rose Garden at the White House, which she recently renovated by herself, according to Town & Country.
The same evening, actor and entertainer Bette Midler jumped on Twitter and published several tweets in response to the first lady's address. In the first tweet, Midler referenced Melania's anti-bullying campaign slogan, "Be Best," and tweeted, "#beBest is back! A UGE bore! She can speak several words in a few languages. Get that illegal alien off the stage!"
As the New York Post pointed out, Melania was born in Yugoslavia, and so her first language is Slovenian. She moved to the United States in the 1990s.
Midler then addressed Melania's renovation of the Rose Garden, tweeting, "#Melania took all the color out of the #RoseGarden but Don tried his utmost to bring some back with that greasy bronzer!"
Minutes later, Midler tweeted, "Oh, God. She still can't speak English." The actor followed up with another tweet saying, "I'm surprised Trump wants to destroy the #PostOffice. He got all his wives from it."
Midler had much more to say, but many Twitter users weren't about it. Here's how people responded.
Twitter claps back at Bette Midler
When actor Bette Midler spoke out against first lady Melania Trump via Twitter on the evening of Aug. 25, 2020, other members of the Twitter community responded swiftly. The political tone of the comments was varied — some supported Midler while others called her out for what she said about Melania.
In response to Midler's tweet where she called the first lady an "illegal alien," one Twitter user responded, "Ms Middler, illegal alien is basically a racial slur. She's terrible and I dislike her as much as you do. But that term hurts real people. No person is illegal."
Another person tweeted, "What happened to 'women empowerment?' Us supporting each other? Does that only apply to 40% of the women in this country? This post is a disgrace to all women." This particular comment sparked other replies and one person responded in support, "Exactly! We should be lifting each other up. This comment sets all women back. What an irresponsible comment."
In response to Midler's tweet, "Oh, God. She still can't speak English," a Twitter user responded with, "How many languages do you speak, Bette? Melania: Slovenian, English, French, Italian, and German." Another person wrote, "Who knew xenophobia was the wind beneath your wings!"
Midler first responded to the backlash on Aug. 26, 2020, telling her critics that she was "giving them [the Trump admin] a taste of their own immigrant bashing medicine."
It's worth noting, however, that this isn't the first time Milder's been embroiled in an online feud.
Bette Midler once bashed the ugly side of social media
In 2016, Bette Midler got into a Twitter feud with Kim Kardashian after the reality star posted a nude photo to her social media, according to Vanity Fair. Midler commented, "Kim Kardashian tweeted a nude selfie today. If Kim wants us to see a part of her we've never seen, she's gonna have to swallow the camera."
Kardashian responded in two parts, first tweeting, "I know it's past your bedtime but if you're still up and reading this send nudes." Kardashian followed this up with a second part, "I really didn't want to bring up how you sent me a gift awhile back trying to be a fake friend then come at me."
It might be surprising that Midler gets caught up in Twitter feuds since she has previously warned about the potential hurt caused by social media.
In an interview with Radio Times in 2020, before her tweets about Melania Trump, Midler spoke about the ugly side of social media, saying (via MSN), "When I was growing up, we had the best of it. My generation had peace, contentment, civility; we don't have those things today." Midler added, "People are allowed to say the worst things they can think of [on social media], which can injure people to the core of their being. It destroys lives, which is just not fair."
Is it possible Midler forgot her previous stance on the potential cruelty of social media? Whatever the case, Twitter didn't let her off easy.
Bette Midler responds to the backlash
Amid the ongoing backlash, Bette Midler returned to Twitter on Aug. 26, 2020, to address the criticism. "Well, all hell has broken loose because I said Melania 'still can't speak English' last night," she tweeted. "I was wrong to make fun of her accent. America is made up [of] people who speak with all kinds of accents, and they are all welcomed always."
Despite the actor's admission, other users wanted more from Midler. "OK. You've admitted you were wrong," they responded. "Where's the apology?" Another commenter said, "Bette Midler should be ashame [sic] of herself, apology my a** you should think b4 [sic] you speak."
However, some cut Midler slack, like the person who wrote, "You are a comedian and you make fun of stuff." Someone else argued that the Hawaii native didn't need to speak up. "No apologies are needed," the user said. "These are the same people who mock Joe Biden for his stutter."
As the political arena amps up, all we can say is — it's hot out there!