Trump fires back at Meryl Streep and calls her 'one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood' after she calls him a 'disrespectful bully' in searing Golden Globes speech

• e-mail

Donald Trump is firing back at Meryl Streep after she very publicly criticized him in front of millions of people around the world at the Golden Globe Awards.

In an explosive six-minute speech on Sunday night, Streep did not hold back as she went after Trump for mocking disabled New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski during one of his rallies in November of 2015, calling him a 'bully.'

Trump responded to Streep's comments on Monday by taking aim at the actress on Twitter, writing: 'Meryl Streep, one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood, doesn't know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes.'

He then added: 'She is a Hillary flunky who lost big.'

Streep, 67, is a three-time Academy Award winner who has been nominated for a record 19 Oscars and  a record 30 Golden Globes during a career that has spanned five decades.

The actress is also widely considered to be the greatest-living actor by both members of the public and those in the industry.

That talent is why Streep was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on Sunday night for her 'outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.'

Scroll down for video 

Meryl Streep, the Cecil B. DeMille honoree, used her Golden Globes acceptance speech on Sunday night to publicly slam Donald Trump for mocking a disabled reporter

Trump hit back by describing Streep as 'one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood'

He tweeted: '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. 

'For the 100th time, I never "mocked" a disabled reporter (would never do that) but simply showed him "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!' 

In her speech on Sunday night, Streep referred to the moment that Trump appeared to imitate the physical handicap of a New York Times journalist at a rally in 2015.

The incident came about as Trump accused reporter Serge Kovaleski of backing away from an article he wrote on the 9/11 attacks in The Washington Post.

Speaking about the controversial moment, Streep said: 'There was nothing good about it, but it did its job.

'It kind of broke my heart when I saw it, and I still can't get it out my head because it wasn't in a movie, it was in real life. 

'It was that moment when a person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter - someone he outranked in privilege, in power and in the capacity to fight back. 

'That instinct to humiliate, when it's modeled by someone in a public platform, it filters down into everyone's life because it gives permission for others to do the same. 

'Disrespect invites disrespect, violence incites violence. When the powerful use their position to bully others we all lose.' 

In her speech Streep, who spoke at the Democratic National Convention last year, also called for the press to stand up to Trump and hold him to account going forward. 

Trump came under fire in 2015 for mocking Kovaleski by impersonating the journalist's physical handicap. It was an incident replayed frequently in campaign advertising. 

The President-elect initially described Streep as a 'Hillary lover' following the awards ceremony, the New York Times reports. 

While Trump said he had not seen Streep's speech or the Golden Globes, he said he was 'not surprised' that he was under attack by 'liberal movie people'.

The Cecil B. DeMille honoree's speech stunned the audience, leaving many teary-eyed

Trump came under fire in 2015 for mocking New York Times investigative reporter Serge Kovaleski by impersonating the journalist's physical handicap

The president-elect said: 'I was never mocking anyone. I was calling into question a reporter who had gotten nervous because he had changed his story.

'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.'

He added: 'And remember, Meryl Streep introduced Hillary Clinton at her convention, and a lot of these people supported Hillary.' 

In her speech, which earned a standing ovation from the stunned audience, Streep noted that 'Hollywood' was a reviled place.

She spoke about how the Hollywood Foreign Press and the actors present were part of 'the most vilified segments in American society right now' - Hollywood, foreigners and the press.

'But who are we, and what is Hollywood anyway? It's just a bunch of people from other places,' Streep said as she touched on her New Jersey upbringing.  

She mentioned nominees seated in the room by name and recalled details of their cultural backgrounds to shine a light on Hollywood's multicultural makeup and to build context for the rest of her speech.

'Viola (Davis) was born in a sharecroppers cabin in South Carolina, came up in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Sarah Paulson was born in Florida, raised by a single mom in Brooklyn,' she said. 

'Sarah Jessica Parker was one of seven or eight kids from Ohio. Amy Adams was born in Vicenzia, Italy, and Natalie Portman was born in Jerusalem.

'Where are their birth certificates?' she asked.

Streep noted Viola Davis - who introduced Streep for the award - was born in a sharecroppers cabin in South Carolina before being raised in Central Falls, Rhode Island

Ryan Gosling 'like all the nicest people' is Canadian, Streep said. She also mentioned Dev Patel's Kenyan heritage. He was raised in London and was nominated for a Golden Globe playing an Indian raised in Tasmania, Australia

Sarah Paulson was born in Florida and raised by a single mom in Brooklyn, Streep noted

Ruth Negga was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and was raised in Ireland. Streep pointed out that Amy Adams was born in Vicenzia, Italy

Sarah Jessica Parker was one of seven or eight kids from Ohio

'The beautiful Ruth Negga was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and was raised in Ireland and she's here nominated for playing a small-town girl from Virginia. 

'Ryan Gosling, like all the nicest people is Canadian. Dev Patel was born in Kenya, raised in London, is here playing an Indian, raised in Tasmania.

'Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners and if you kick them all out, you'll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts,' Streep said to loud applause.

Streep mentioned her late friend Carrie Fisher, who died just after Christmas, and how the actress and writer urged others to 'take your broken heart and make it into art.' 

Her speech sent Twitter into a frenzy with many of A-list stars applauding Streep.

'There has never been anyone like Meryl Streep. I love her,' Ellen DeGeneres wrote.

Orange Is The New Black star Uzo Aduba wrote: 'Meryl Streep. It's this same level of bravery that she has offered us, freely, again and again.'

'"When the powerful use their position to bully other, we all lose" thank you,' Julianne Moore wrote.

MERYL STREEP'S FULL SPEECH: 

Thank you, thank you. I lost my voice in screaming and lamentation this week. I've lost my mind sometime earlier this year, so I have to read. Thank you, Hollywood Foreign Press. Just to pick up on what Hugh Laurie said: You, and all of us in this room, really belong to the most vilified segment of American society right now. Think about it: Hollywood, foreigners, and the press.

But who are we? What is Hollywood, anyway? It's just a bunch of different places. I was born and raised and educated in the public schools of New Jersey, Viola was born in a sharecroppers cabin in South Carolina, came up in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Sarah Paulson was born in Florida, raised by a single mom in Brooklyn. Sarah Jessica Parker was one of seven or eight kids from Ohio. Amy Adams was born in Vicenzia, Italy, and Natalie Portman was born in Jerusalem. Where are their birth certificates? And the beautiful Ruth Negga was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and was raised in Ireland and she's here nominated - for playing a small-town girl from Virginia. Ryan Gosling, like all the nicest people is Canadian. And Dev Patel was born in Kenya, raised in London, is here playing an Indian, raised in Tasmania.

So Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners, and if you kick 'em all out, you'll have nothing else to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts. They gave me three seconds to say that.

An actor's only job is to enter the lives of people who are different from us, and let you feel what that feels like, and there were many, many ,many powerful performances that did exactly that - breathtaking, compassionate work. But there was one performances this year that stunned me; it sank its hooks in my heart, not because it was good. There was nothing good about it. But it was effective and it did its job - it made its intended audience laugh and show their teeth.

It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter - someone he outranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back. It kind of broke my heart when I saw it and I still can't get it out of my head because it wasn't in a movie, it was real life. This instinct to humiliate, when it's modeled by someone in the public platform, by someone powerful, filters down into everybody's life because it kind of gives permission for other people to do the same thing.

Disrespect invites disrespect, violence incites violence. When the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose.

Okay, this brings me to the press. We need the principled press to hold power to account, to call them them on the carpet for every outrage - that's why our founders enshrine the press and its freedoms in our constitution. So I only asked the famously well-heeled Hollywood Foreign Press and all of us in our community to join me in supporting the committee to protect journalists, because we're gonna need them going forward, and they'll need us to safeguard the truth.

One more thing. Once, when I was standing around on the set one day whining about something, we were going to work through supper, or the long hours or whatever, Tommy Lee Jones said to me, isn't it such a privilege, Meryl, just to be an actor. Yeah, it is. And we have to remind each other of the privilege and the responsibility of the act of empathy. We should all be very proud of the work Hollywood honors here tonight.

As my friend, the dear departed Princess Leia, said to me once, take your broken heart, make it into art. Thank you.

The Cecil B. DeMille honoree called the moment the president-elect mocked a disabled reporter the most stunning performance of the year

However, other social media users condemning the speech as being the exact sort of condescending attitude from the 'elites' that got Trump elected.

Twitter user Deplorable P Kelly posted: '#MerylStreep dont u get it? There r ppl out here that make less in a year than celebrities spent on their gown tonite? They need an escape.'

Fox News host Meghan McCain added: 'This Meryl Streep speech is why Trump won. And if people in Hollywood don't start recognizing why and how - you will help him get re-elected.'

While Streep won the annual Cecille B. DeMille Award and can boast of 48 Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, her career is still current. 

She was nominated this year for her portrayal of a bad opera singer in 'Florence Foster Jenkins.'

Streep was introduced by fellow actress Viola Davis, who said her husband urged her every day when she worked with her to tell Streep how much she meant to her. She was too bashful then, but not on stage on Sunday.

'You make me proud to be an artist,' Davis said. 'You make me feel that what I have in me - my body, my face, my age - is enough.'

DONALD TRUMP SLAMMED FOR MOCKING DISABLED REPORTER:

Donald Trump came under fire in 2015 after he mocked investigative reporter Serge Kovaleski at a Republican rally in South Carolina

Donald Trump came under fire in 2015 after he mocked investigative reporter Serge Kovaleski at a Republican rally in South Carolina.

He was accused of impersonating the New York Times journalist's physical handicap for what he saw as the reporter stepping away from an article he wrote on the 9/11 attacks in The Washington Post.

'Now the poor guy, you ought to see this guy,' Trump said, drawing his wrists up close to his chest and flailing around. '"Ah, I don't know what I said! I don't remember!"'

Kovaleski has arthrogryposis, a congenital condition that has locked his right arm up against his chest in a similar position to the one Trump held. 

He claimed Trump was mocking his disability, while Trump denied at the time knowing who Kovaleski was.

Kovaleski then said he was on first-name terms with Trump and had interviewed him around a dozen times over the past 30 years.

Pro-Trump website Catholics 4 Trump claimed last year that the Republican had a long history of making similar gestures while mocking other people.

They featured videos from 2016, 2015 and 2005 showing Trump doing similar - albeit shorter and less involved - impressions on several other occasions.