Two days following the commencement of Bruce Springsteen's Land of Hope and Dreams tour, he characterized the Trump administration as “corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless, and treasonous,” prompting Donald Trump to respond with a sharp critique on Truth Social.
“Bad, and very boring singer, Bruce Springsteen, who looks like a dried up prune who has suffered greatly from the work of a really bad plastic surgeon, has long had a horrible and incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, sometimes referred to as TDS,” Trump stated. “The guy is a total loser who spews hate against a President who won a Landslide Election, including the popular vote, all Seven Swing States, and 86% of the Counties across America. Under Sleepy Joe and the Dems, our Country was DEAD, and now we have the ‘hottest’ Country, by far, anywhere in the World. MAGA SHOULD BOYCOTT HIS OVERPRICED CONCERTS, WHICH SUCK. SAVE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY. AMERICA IS BACK!!! President DJT.”
This exchange marks yet another chapter in the ongoing feud between the two. During the 2016 election cycle, Springsteen expressed to Rolling Stone his concern regarding Trump, stating, “the republic is under siege by a moron, basically. The whole thing is tragic. Without overstating it, it’s a tragedy for our democracy … The ideas he’s moving to the mainstream are all very dangerous ideas — white nationalism and the alt-right movement.”
In 2020, Springsteen reiterated his stance during his SiriusXM show From My Home to Yours, declaring, “A good portion of our fine country, to my eye, has been thoroughly hypnotized, brainwashed by a conman from Queens. And you mix in some jingoism, some phony patriotism, fear of a black planet, vanity, narcissism, paranoia, conspiracy theories, and a portion of our nation undergoing mass delusions and teetering on violence, and you’re left with the greatest threat to democracy in my lifetime.”
Following an anti-Trump sentiment in his European tour last year, Trump lashed out on social media, labeling Springsteen as “dumb as a rock” and questioning his perception of current events. Trump further expressed, “This dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that’s just ‘standard fare.’ Then we’ll all see how it goes for him!”
Three days later, Trump escalated his rhetoric with another vehement post: “HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT? WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS? ISN’T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ?...AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO??? I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter. Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment.”
Despite facing backlash, Springsteen remains resolute in expressing his views. On the opening night of his tour on March 31, he momentarily halted the performance to voice criticism of the administration. While this stance may alienate some fans, Springsteen conveyed to the Minneapolis Tribune his indifference to such consequences.
“My job is very simple: I do what I want to do, I say what I want to say and then people get to say what they want to say about it,” he articulated. “Those are the rules of my game. That’s fine with me. I don’t worry about if you’re going to lose this part of your audience. I’ve always had a feeling about the position we play culturally, and I’m still deeply committed to that idea of the band. The blowback is just part of it. I’m ready for all that.”
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