Washington (CNN) — Former defense Secretary James Mattis on Thursday laughed off the news that President Donald trump called him “the most overrated General in the world,” joking that he’s not just an overrated General, but the greatest overrated General.

“So I would just like to tell you, I am honored to consider Donald trump because he also called Meryl Streep an overrated actress,” Mattis said at the annual Alfred E. Smith memorial Foundation Dinner in new York. “So I think I’m Meryl Streep generals and frankly that sounds really good to me.”

“And, you have to admit, between me and Meryl, at least we had some wins,” he added.

Trump snubbed Mattis – who resigned as defense Secretary last year – during a contentious White house meeting Wednesday with democratic leaders in Congress to discuss trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, according to a democratic source familiar with the meeting.

Trump earlier leveled criticism at Streep, considered one of the best actors of his generation, shortly before taking office after she used a speech at the Golden globes to criticize the then-President-elect. Streep referred to trump’s taunts of a New York Times journalist who used him to ” intimidate others.”

The following day, trump called the Strip “one of the most overrated Actresses in Hollywood” and called her “Hillary flanks who lost big”.

During his speech on Thursday, Mattis insisted that trump’s comments did not bother him. Mattis riffed that he “earned my spurs on the battlefield” and trump “earned his spurs from a letter from a doctor” in a pointed jab at his former boss cited as a reason for avoiding the Vietnam war project.

Mattis resigned in December 2018 after trump announced plans to withdraw troops from Syria, citing irreconcilable political differences in a move that took Washington by surprise at the time.

“Since you have the right to have a Secretary of defense whose views better align with yours on these and other issues, I believe it is right that I step down from my post,” Mattis wrote in his letter to the President.

The former defense Secretary’s comments Thursday night come as trump faces bipartisan criticism for his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. On Wednesday, the House of representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution against the trump administration’s withdrawal.

Earlier in the day, retired four-star Admiral William Mcraven, the architect of the RAID that killed Osama bin Laden, said trump was working to “destroy” the country “inside” and “without.”

CNN’s Jeremy diamond, Barbara Starr and Zachary Cohen contributed to this report.