Donald Trump was quick to jump on Meryl Streep after the actress spoke out against him during her Golden Globes acceptance speech, and now other reactions are trickling in. On Monday’s Fox & Friends, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway accused Streep of “inciting people’s worst instincts” with her speech, Politico reports: “Everybody in that audience, with very few exceptions, was of a single, myopic mind as to how they wanted the election to go and how they expected the election to go. They lost and I really wish she would have stood up last night and said, ‘Look, I didn’t like the election results, but he’s our president and we’re going to support him.’”
Naturally, as the avalanche of commentary against the actress’s speech started rolling in, it was to be expected that Sarah Palin, the former half-term governor of Alaska, Republican loudmouth and the actress’s cousin, would break the silence as well. And she did, though in a somewhat more subtle way than expected. “Here’s the thing about Meryl: Even if I wanted to say something bad about her, which I don’t, but even if I wanted to – I couldn’t, because not only are we both ladies, but we also happen to be related. Therefore, as much as I want to bash her acceptance hate speech, I am not in a position to do so, because for better or worse, you’re always supposed to watch your family’s back. And that’s pretty much how we were raised,” she told media outlets following the scandal.
“On the other hand,” Palin continued, “I will say that, between you and me, everybody was always well aware of which one of us was the prettier as well as smarter in the family. So, I kind of understand why she reacted that way and, on a certain level, I suppose I can relate. But, then again, that was always the difference between me and her: I always had better control and could hold my tongue when the situation called for it, where as her, although almost as beautiful, never had good breaks. Ultimately, that’s why I opted for politics instead of acting; I knew that, a) I had what it took to succeed in this game, and b) I thought it’d be cruel to crush her ego by swooping in and stealing all of her roles because I was the better looking one. I may be many things, but cruel and insensitive is not on the list.”
“At the end of the day, hate speeches are somehow primarily expected from politicians, they’re kind of our ballpark. Hollywood is too liberal for that kind of thing, not to mention that most actors are political pacifists. And to think she was having such a great career up until this point, everybody in the family was so proud of her. And then she had to open her mouth and ruin everything. I guess she still has to learn the most important lesson about expressing your hatred towards someone or something publicly: either you do it 100% on the first go and rip them a new one right then and there, or you don’t start at all. It can’t be done halfway, or this is what ultimately happens. Too bad – all of this could have been prevented if she had only phoned me for advice before saying anything. But, then again – she was always kind of jealous of me,” Palin concluded.
