Bette Midler says Manchin wants US to be like West Virginia: 'Poor, illiterate and strung out'

Actress Bette Midler, a frequent and fierce critic of Republicans on her Twitter account, called out Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Monday, while also criticizing his home state of West Virginia.

Midler said Manchin "sold us out," apparently in reference to his blocking Democrats' social and climate spending package, and added he wanted the rest of the country to be like West Virginia: "Poor, illiterate and strung out."

The "Hocus Pocus" actress said the "rest of America" just "wants to move forward, not backward, like his state."

The 76-year-old actress's remarks drew criticism on Twitter, and Midler later tweeted an apology for generalizing about the people of West Virginia, though she continued to call out Manchin, asking "Is he really the best [West Virginia] has to offer its own citizens?"

Manchin has been criticized for his continued financial involvement in Enersystems Inc., a coal brokerage firm which he founded in the 1980s and handed control of to his son in 2000. The senator still owns millions worth of stock in the firm and earns annual dividends.

Last year, Midler criticized Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) using an image of McConnell listing Kentucky's low national rankings in things like education, employment, and economic opportunity.