Bette Midler says West Virginia governor's dog's butt would do a better job than him after he told the artist to kiss it during his State of the State address

• West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice told Bette Midler and critics to kiss his dog's butt.
• Justice hoisted up his dog to send the message during his State of the State speech on Thursday.

Bette Midler said the butt of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice's dog would make a better governor than him after Justice told the actress to kiss his dog's "heinie" during his State of the State address on Thursday.

"BTW, here are the state rankings of all the areas and agencies for which the so-called "Governor" of WVA, #JimJustice, is responsible. Judging from these rankings, I'd say his dog's ass would make a better Governor than him!" Midler said in a tweet on Friday that was accompanied by an image of the state's rankings in various categories, including healthcare and education.

—bettemidler (@BetteMidler) January 28, 2022

Justice's grand gesture came after a now-deleted tweet, where Midler – an Emmy, Grammy, and Tony award winner – called West Virginians "poor, illiterate and strung out."

"They told every bad joke in the world about us," Justice said as he hoisted his dog. "So from that standpoint, Babydog tells Bette Midler and all those out there, kiss her heinie."

Midler had previously apologized for the initial tweet, Insider's Jake Lahut reported.

Insider has reached out to Justice's office for comment.