Bette Midler is no stranger to speaking out against the Trump administration, but her most recent comments amid the Republican National Convention are earning her some backlash. On Tuesday, as the RNC entered its second night, Midler took to Twitter to mock First Lady Melania Trump‘s accent as she made her address from the Rose Garden, remarks that some felt crossed a line.
#beBest is back! A UGE bore! She can speak several words in a few languages. Get that illegal alien off the stage!
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) August 26, 2020
During her speech, the first of this year’s RNC speeches to be held in front of a crowd, the first lady offered a more humble tone than what had been heard on night one, addressing the multiple crises occurring in the country. Speaking on the coronavirus pandemic, Trump expressed her gratitude to those working on the front lines and said, “my deepest sympathy goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one and my prayers are with those who are ill or suffering.” She also referenced the social unrest sparked by the police killings of Black Americans, urging “people to come together in a civil manner so we can work and live up to our standard American ideals.”
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Oh, God. She still can’t speak English.
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) August 26, 2020
Although the first lady’s remarks didn’t win over everyone, many felt that Midler’s tweets went too far, dubbing them xenophobic. Trump was born and raised in Yugoslavia before coming to the U.S., with her first language being Slovenian. The Hill reports that she is also able to speak four other languages, including English, French, German and Italian. Keep scrolling to see what social media had to say.
Who knew xenophobia was the wind beneath your wings! https://t.co/wh1UMJd5Og
— Kennedy (@KennedyNation) August 26, 2020
How many languages do you speak, Bette? Melania: Slovenian, English, French, Italian, and German.
— Ross Kaminsky (@Rossputin) August 26, 2020
There were a million things to criticize about this speech. This wasn’t one of them.
— Rebecca Kavanagh (@DrRJKavanagh) August 26, 2020
dunking on an immigrant for not speaking her second language as well as you speak the only language you know to own the cons. https://t.co/cM2pGBZ5jm
— tsar becket adams (@BecketAdams) August 26, 2020
Are you actually mocking an immigrant who became the First Lady of the United States for her accent?
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) August 26, 2020
So much for the party of “diversity.” You’re a total hypocrite.
— Michael Rectenwald (@TheAntiPCProf) August 26, 2020
Fairness, tolerance, differences. We claim to embrace and welcome these qualities and people are going to knock her for an accent? Would you do that to the other side?? Even with perfect elocution do you think it’s easy to speak in front of millions? Be kind, not petty.
— Erica Fidel (@Fidelowitz) August 26, 2020
I don’t like them either but this is unnecessarily mean and beneath you. When they go low, we go high, remember??
— Sara Hellvig (@SaraHellvig) August 26, 2020
I always admired your talents but I never realized you had such an unkind spirit. The meanness and ugliness in this tweet truly shocked me.
— Susan Spencer (@SusanSpenc) August 26, 2020
Her English is the one thing I won’t fault her on. How many Americans can speak even one language other than English well enough that they could be understood? She can probably function in more than just her native language and English.
— Max_Not_So (@MaxNotSo1) August 26, 2020
Gross and completely unnecessary. Plenty of other places to go without going there. https://t.co/4h52UZG05N
— Naomi Wu 机械妖姬 (@RealSexyCyborg) August 26, 2020
This shit right here is gross. It’s just xenophobia, plain as day. There are legitimate reasons to not like Melania but her English not being to your standards ain’t one of them. Please, Bette Midler, won’t you recite some verse in Slovene? https://t.co/kKFujkCW8w
— Sarah wants open borders🌹🌾 🏳️🌈 (@S_LoreneCarol) August 26, 2020
Mocking somebody for their accent – how classy!
— yaaga (@borisagunin) August 26, 2020
Umm, that’s pretty racist…
— Place Holder (@Philip_Prins) August 26, 2020
