Meryl Streep on #MeToo: 'I want to hear about the silence of Melania Trump'

Women from Hollywood to Washington are working to end sexual harassment in the workplace with movements like #MeToo and Time's Up. And now, Meryl Streep is calling on Melania Trump to speak out. That's right, Melania — Meryl is lookin' at you.

In a new interview, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, both stars of The Post, spoke with The New York Times about Donald Trump, #MeToo, and Harvey Weinstein.

When Streep was asked about her role in the #MeToo movement, Streep said "I don’t want to hear about the silence of me. I want to hear about the silence of Melania Trump. I want to hear from her. She has so much that’s valuable to say. And so does Ivanka. I want her to speak now."

Streep is perceived by some as Hollywood's moral compass and upstanding citizen-in-chief, especially after her 2017 Golden Globes speech in which she called for transparency, empathy, respect, and inclusion, in the face of a Trump presidency.

However, towards the end of 2017, Streep drew criticism about her advocacy, or perceived lack there of, in the industry. After Harvey Weinstein's history of sexual abuse was revealed, Rose McGowan, a street artist, and others on the internet criticized Meryl Streep for what they saw as her initial silence on the scandal, and what has since been interpreted as complicity with Weinstein's actions. (Streep has worked on several movies with Weinstein in the past including The Irony Lady and August: Osage County, and has frequently appeared with him in photos and in public).

Streep said that she did not know about the rape and sexual abuse, and strongly condemned Weinstein in the press after the Weinstein reports broke (though not immediately; in the Times interview, Streep said she "went home deep into my own life" before finding out people were waiting for her to weigh in days later).

When the allegations against Weinstein continued to pour out, Streep released a strong condemnation of his behavior to the Huffington Post.

"The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported. The intrepid women who raised their voices to expose this abuse are our heroes," she wrote. "The behavior is inexcusable, but the abuse of power familiar. Each brave voice that is raised, heard and credited by our watchdog media will ultimately change the game.”

But that statement didn't quash the criticisms. In a now deleted tweet, McGowan wrote about Streep: "YOUR SILENCE is THE problem." Around the same time, posters of Streep alongside Weinstein emblazoned with the words "She Knew" appeared around Los Angeles. Streep again responded in the Huffington Post "I didn’t know. I don’t tacitly approve of rape. I didn’t know. I don’t like young women being assaulted. I didn’t know this was happening."

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Given the backlash, it's understandable that Streep attempted to turn the tables when the Times reporter asked her about #MeToo.

But pivoting the conversation to Melania and Ivanka is wishful thinking. Melania is probably best known for her elusiveness and staged public persona. Her statements on social media are infrequent and rote. She has yet to take a public stance more substantive than "bullying is bad." And the last time she addressed sexual misconduct, it was to defend her husband for his "grab 'em by the pussy" statements.

Ivanka is a different story. She recently spoke out about sexual harassment in the workplace at an appearance in Japan, and strongly criticized alleged pedophile and the losing Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore (which Trump was reportedly not too pleased about). But like so much of Ivanka's work on issues that concern women, her actions on behalf of her father — like supporting his repeal of an Obama-era initiative that aimed to combat the gender pay gap — speak louder than her too-polished words.

Both Melania and Ivanka have continued to stand by their husband and father, respectively, despite the 19 allegations of sexual assault that have been made against him.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Michelle Obama lent her voice to the anti-sexual harassment cause. She tweeted in support of the Time's Up movement, telling her former chief of staff Tina Tchen she was proud of her for helping to lead the charge.

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And though Melania has taken a cue or two from Michelle's speeches in the past, she has yet to follow the former First Lady's lead on advocating for women's safety in the workplace.

But hey, it's a new year. So let's see what kind of justice 2018 brings.

UPDATE Jan. 3, 4:42 p.m. ET: Michelle Obama’s tweet in support of Time’s Up was added.