Topline
President Donald Trump and billionaire musician Bruce Springsteen continued their escalating feud this week, as Trump renewed his social media attacks against the singer Wednesday while Springsteen released a live album containing some of his Trump-critical speeches on streaming platforms.
Bruce Springsteen slammed the Trump administration in a May 14 performance in the United Kingdom. … More
Key Facts
Trump’s Truth Social video, his latest social media attack on the singer, depicts himself hitting a golf ball in an edited video spliced together with a clip of Springsteen, in which the ball appears to knock him over.
Springsteen, also on Wednesday, released a live extended play on streaming services featuring songs and spoken interludes from his set in Manchester last week, which includes his speech slamming Trump as “treasonous,” “corrupt” and “authoritarian.”
The first track on the EP, “Land of Hopes and Dreams (Introduction),” is a one-minute, 39-second track in which Springsteen makes a speech critical of Trump: “The America I love, the America I’ve written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration,” he says.
On the track, throughout which the crowd roars, Springsteen urges those who “believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring.”
On the EP’s fourth track, his spoken introduction to “My City of Ruins,” Springsteen says: “In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent,” and “the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death.”
“They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation,” Springsteen says on the fourth track, without naming Trump, while criticizing the United States for “abandoning our great allies” and “siding with dictators.”
How Did The Trump Vs. Springsteen Feud Start?
Springsteen’s remarks criticizing Trump, which he made on stage last week in Manchester, England, angered the president, who took to Truth Social days after his show to call the musician “Highly Overrated.” “Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy,” Trump posted, warning the “dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!)” to “KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country.” Springsteen again made critical remarks about the Trump administration at a show in Manchester on Saturday, repeating many of the lines he had said days earlier. Trump again lashed out at Springsteen in a Truth Social post on Monday, questioning whether his election opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, paid Springsteen for his endorsement, accusing him—with no evidence—of a “major and illegal campaign contribution.” Trump demanded an investigation into Springsteen and other celebrities who endorsed Harris.
What Do We Know About Bruce Springsteen’s Political Views?
Springsteen has stumped for Democratic presidential candidates for decades, appearing at rallies for John Kerry, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and he narrated one of former President Joe Biden’s campaign advertisements. Springsteen endorsed Harris and appeared at a rally for her in Philadelphia alongside Obama. Springsteen has long been critical of Trump, whom he called a “threat to democracy” during his first term. Springsteen’s music is known for lyrics uplifting the working class, and in the 1980s, he and former President Ronald Reagan had different interpretations of his hit song, “Born in the U.S.A.” Reagan praised the song at a 1984 campaign stop for its “message of hope,” prompting Springsteen to address the then-president on stage days later. “I kind of got to wondering what his favorite album of mine must’ve been, you know? I don’t think it was the ‘Nebraska’ album. I don’t think he’s been listening to this one,” Springsteen said, before singing “Johnny 99,” a song about a fictional man who gets laid off, cannot find work and turns to alcohol and crime.
Tangent
Trump has also recently attacked two other wealthy and powerful musicians: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, whom he named in recent Truth Social rants. Last week, Trump posted: “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’” referring to a post he made on Truth Social in September after Swift announced support for Harris. The reason for Trump’s post is unclear, as Swift has not mentioned him recently and has kept a low profile since her Eras Tour wrapped up in December. Trump also questioned Beyoncé’s endorsement of Harris in the same post targeting Springsteen, questioning (without evidence) whether she also was paid for her endorsement.
Further Reading
Trump Revives Taylor Swift Feud And Calls Bruce Springsteen ‘Highly Overrated’ (Forbes)
Trump Wants Investigation Into Springsteen And Beyonce’s Endorsement Of Harris (Forbes)
‘Dried out prune’? ‘Corrupt’ and ‘incompetent’? It’s getting nasty between Springsteen and Trump (Associated Press)
