Bruce Springsteen (left) in Manchester, where he railed against the “corrupt” Donald Trump (right). Photos: GETTY IMAGES
‘‘For years we have watched in silence while all the wealth of the world is gathered into the hands of a few men. Our willingness to let this happen is all the more evident because none of these men even bothers to pretend he is not doing wrong or tries to conceal his greed.’’
– Roman statesman Cicero, 2000 years ago.
‘‘In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that has led to a more just and plural society.’’
– Singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, May, 2025.
And thus war broke out between the president and the Boss.
As Cicero did two millennia ago in speaking out against the vices of those in power, over the past week Springsteen has taken to the stage to voice his rage at the abuse of power in his own country, the US, and specifically the President Donald Trump. He kicked off a show in Manchester, England, recently with an impassioned blast at the Trump regime. Trump responded as only a bully and juvenile can. He had a tantrum.
Springsteen said between songs: “Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring.
“The last check on power after the checks and balances of government have failed are the people, you and me. It’s in the union of people around a common set of values now that’s all that stands between a democracy and authoritarianism. At the end of the day, all we’ve got is each other. There’s some very weird, strange, and dangerous sh*t going on out there right now. In America they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now.
“A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government. They have no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American. The America l’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real, and, regardless of its faults, is a great country with a great people. So we’ll survive this moment. Now, I have hope, because I believe in the truth of what the great American writer James Baldwin said. He said, ‘In this world there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough.’ Let’s pray.”
To which Trump responded through his social media channel Truth Social (surely the most egregious oxymoron created): “I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States.
“Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK . . . Springsteen is dumb as a rock, and couldn’t see what was going on, or could he (which is even worse!)? This dried out prune of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) 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!”
To which Springsteen responded by releasing an ep of parts of his Manchester show, including his speeches.
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Springsteen is a Democrat supporter, when he met Barack Obama, Obama joked that though he was president, Springsteen was the Boss.
Leaving aside the implied threat in the last sentence, and the UPPER CASE words, Trump’s response, as in every response he makes to criticism, reveals more about him than the other side. It is simply childish. “Jerk? Dumb as a rock? Pushy, obnoxious, Dried out prune?” Seriously, Trump has Ted Nugent as a fan.
His reaction also goes to the one great weakness all those who aspire to complete domination and the righteousness of their ego have, and that’s being made to feel powerless. It is poison to their world.
And that’s what Springsteen, and all those in the arts have. They have a power to speak out, to unite, to see and sing, and write and perform a truth that cannot be silenced. One of Springsteen’s most powerful songs is The Ghost of Tom Joad, which carries across all US administrations in its story of the plight of social outcasts in his country.
Trump must have been some sort of day because he also took aim at Taylor Swift, who had said nothing. From once being a fan a decade ago, he changed after she endorsed Kamala Harris, saying I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT. This time he posted, “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’ ” Which is exceedingly odd because Swift’s Eras tour has grossed more than $2billion.
Musicians such as Jason Isbell have come out in support of Springsteen and The American Federation of Musicians stated: “Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift are not just brilliant musicians, they are role models and inspirations to millions of people in the United States and across the world,” the federation said. “Whether it’s Born in the USA or the Eras Tour, their music is timeless, impactful, and has deep cultural meaning. Musicians have the right to freedom of expression, and we stand in solidarity with all our members.”
One day, Trump will be gone from the stage. The songs of Springsteen, however, will live on. That is where real power lies.
Coda: US Attorney General Pam Bondi: “It is illegal to call yourself the boss if you are not in charge of the entire country.”
Words fail.
