James Mattis Calls Himself the ‘Meryl Streep of Generals’

Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis hit back at President Donald Trump who called him “the world’s most overrated general” during a Congress leader meeting on Wednesday.

The Al Smith Memorial Foundation hosted a dinner on Thursday where Mattis began his speech with a bitter memory about his deferment in the Vietnam war.

“I earned my spurs on the battlefield; Donald Trump earned his spurs from the doctor,” he said. 

“I’m not just an overrated general. I’m the greatest, the world’s most overrated,” Mattis continued with the Trump references.

“I’m honored to be considered that by Donald Trump because he also called Meryl Streep an overrated actress. So I guess I’m the Meryl Streep of generals, and frankly that sounds pretty good to me,” the general went on.

Mattis took continuous jabs at President Trump, saying:

“And you do have to admit that between me and Meryl, at least we’ve had some victories.”

Trump reportedly called Mattis “the world’s most overrated general,”during a tense meeting Wednesday with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) among others, The Hill reported. 

Schumer reportedly read a quote from Mattis’s Sunday appearance on “Meet the Press,” during which he warned that “ISIS will resurge” if the U.S. does not keep forces in northern Syria.

Trump pulled troops from the area last week.

“He wasn’t tough enough,” Trump reportedly said at the Wednesday meeting. “I captured ISIS. Mattis said it would take two years. I captured them in one month.”

Shortly following Mattis’s remarks, Schumer, who happened to attend the function as well, showed solidarity with the general, tweeting, “While Donald Trump was having another rally, it was great to catch up with General Mattis—the Meryl Streep of generals.” 

Trump called Streep “one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood” in a tweet after his election, after Streep criticized Trump in a speech at the Golden Globes. 

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