politics

Bruce Springsteen is doubling down on his stance that the United States government is “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous,” even after his remarks on the subject at a Manchester concert infuriated President Donald Trump last week.
One week after criticizing the Trump administration during a speech at his European tour kickoff show in England — leading the twice-impeached POTUS to launch into a series of vitriolic posts targeting him on Truth Social — the Boss has released a Land of Hopes & Dreams EP featuring a recording of the address as its opening track. “In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, and 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 in the audio snippet. “Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices against the authoritarianism, and let freedom ring.”

The rocker then dives into 2001’s “Land of Hopes & Dreams,” which is also the name Springsteen’s ongoing tour.

In addition to the politically charged speech, the six-track project also features live takes of the musician and his band performing “Long Walk Home,” “My City of Ruins” and “Chimes of Freedom” in Manchester. There’s also a three-and-a-half-minute recording of Springsteen once again critiquing the state of American politics later in the show.

“In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain that they inflict on American workers, they’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just and moral society,” he says in the clip. “They’re abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom.”

The EP comes shortly after Trump responded to Springsteen’s onstage remarks by calling him “highly overrated” and “dumb as a rock” on Truth Social, adding at the time, “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.’”

Later, the billionaire accused the “Born in the U.S.A.” singer — along with Beyoncé, Oprah and Bono — of taking part in an “illegal election scam” for Kamala Harris, alleging that he accepted an undisclosed payment from the 2024 Democratic nominee to endorse her for president. (Campaign finance records do not support this claim, and Harris’ campaign has denied paying any artist for their support in last year’s election.)

Trump still hadn’t let the matter go as of Wednesday, when he shared an edited video of himself golfing — and appearing to hit and knock over Springsteen with his ball — on Truth Social hours after the Land of Hopes & Dreams EP dropped.

But despite Trump’s counters, Springsteen hasn’t ever backed down on his firm stance against the president’s policies. The E Street bandleader has long been vocal about his beliefs, telling The Atlantic in 2020 that he believed Trump — who in May 2024 was convicted of 34 felony counts in a hush money trial — to be a “threat to our democracy.”

Also in 2024, Springsteen proudly endorsed Harris and played at a number of her campaign events. He also appeared in an advertisement for the former VP’s campaign, telling viewers, “This election is about a group of folks who want to fundamentally undermine our American way of life … Donald Trump does not understand this country, its history, or what it means to be deeply American.”

President Donald Trump has accused Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen and more stars of participating in an “illegal election scam” run by Kamala Harris‘ campaign during the 2024 election, with the billionaire calling for a “major investigation” into their allegedly “corrupt” endorsements of the former VP.
In two Truth Social posts from the early hours of Monday (May 19), Trump first accused the Boss — whom the POTUS also called “highly overrated” and “dumb as a rock” just a few days prior — of illegally accepting an undisclosed payment to appear at one of Harris’ rallies last year before lumping the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer, as well as Oprah Winfrey and U2’s Bono, into the alleged scheme. “HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT?” Trump began. “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???” he continued early Monday morning. “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. In addition, this was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds.”

“IT’S NOT LEGAL!” Trump added. “For these unpatriotic ‘entertainers,’ this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system.”

In a follow-up post about seven hours later, Trump doubled down on his claims. “According to news reports, Beyoncé was paid $11,000,000 to walk onto a stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, NOT EVEN ONE SONG!” he wrote. “Remember, the Democrats and Kamala illegally paid her millions of Dollars for doing nothing other than giving Kamala a full throated ENDORSEMENT. THIS IS AN ILLEGAL ELECTION SCAM AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL! IT IS AN ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION! BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, OPRAH, BONO AND, PERHAPS, MANY OTHERS, HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!!!”

When that 11-million figure first surfaced last year and made the rounds on social media, fact check organizations found no evidence to support the claim. Billboard has reached out to reps for Beyoncé, Springsteen and Bono for comment.

The president’s remarks come about three days after he first targeted the “Born in the U.S.A.” rocker shortly after Springsteen slammed Trump’s “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous” administration during a concert in Manchester. Trump called the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer a “pushy, obnoxious JERK” who “ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT” on Friday (May 16). That same day, Trump also wrote that Taylor Swift is “no longer ‘HOT’” following her September endorsement of Harris and his subsequent “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” post.

Springsteen was vocal in his support of Harris throughout the 2024 election, performing at rallies in Pennsylvania and Georgia as well as appearing in an advertisement supporting the Democratic politician’s campaign. Beyoncé also appeared at a Harris rally in Houston, delivering a speech in which she asserted: “I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother. A mother who cares, deeply, about the world my children and all of our children live in.”

An Irish citizen, Bono did not endorse a candidate in the 2024 U.S. election or participate in any campaign events.

The E Street band leader and Destiny’s Child alum were just two of many stars who backed Harris during the 2024 election, with Megan Thee Stallion, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Cardi B, Eminem and more throwing their support behind the former prosecutor’s campaign. Finance records do not show that any of them were paid for their endorsements — something Harris would have needed to disclose if that were the case — and Harris’ campaign has denied in the past that it ever paid artists to perform at events. “We have never paid any artist and performer,” senior spokesperson Adrienne Elrod stated to Deadline when rumors to the contrary first surfaced last year. “We have never paid a fee to that person.”

Beyoncé’s camp has also denied that she accepted payment for her endorsement of Harris, as has the 35-time Grammy winner’s mother, Tina Knowles. “The lie is that Beyonce was paid 10 million dollars to speak at a rally in Houston for Vice President Kamala Harris,” Knowles wrote on Instagram in November. “When In Fact : Beyonce did not receive a penny for speaking at a Presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harrris’s Rally in Houston. In fact she actually paid for her own flights for her and her team, and total Glam . They are not only lying and disrespecting Beyonce’s name but they are trying to further discredit the power of our vice president! When does the lies and rumors stop?”

There is record of Harris paying Bey’s production company, Parkwood Production Media LLC, $165,000 after the Texas event; that payment would be in accordance with federal law, which prohibits corporations from giving directly to a candidate’s campaign and mandates that campaigns reimburse the costs of large event production, according to The Hill.

Donald Trump recently launched into online rants targeting not one, but two of the world’s biggest musicians, and the American Federation of Musicians International isn’t letting it slide.
Hours after Trump wrote that Taylor Swift isn’t “hot” anymore while calling Bruce Springsteen “dumb as a rock” in posts Friday (May 16) on Truth Social, AFM International President Tino Gagliardi issued a statement condemning the “attacks” on two of the labor union’s members.

“The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada will not remain silent as two of our members — Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift — are singled out and personally attacked by the President of the United States,” Gagliardi began.

“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 statement continued. “Whether it’s Born in the U.S.A. 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.”

The “Anti-Hero” singer and E Street Band leader are just two of tens of thousands of musicians who are part of the AFM, which “negotiates fair agreements, protects ownership of recorded music, secures benefits such as health care and pension, and lobbies for musicians and the rights of workers,” according to the union’s website. Swift is a member of her local Nashville branch, while Springsteen is part of chapters in both Los Angeles and his home state of New Jersey, per the AFM’s statement.

The organization’s defense of the two stars counters Trump’s tirade against both of them earlier on Friday. Starting with Swift, the politician had written, “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’”

The remark comes eight months after he first posted that he hated the 14-time Grammy winner on Truth Social following her endorsement of his opponent, Kamala Harris, in the 2024 election. Trump has a long history of directing barbed comments at Swift, previously making fun of her for getting booed by Philadelphia Eagles fans at the Super Bowl in February.

Shortly after name-dropping the Eras headliner, Trump turned his attention to The Boss. In response to Springsteen slamming the billionaire’s “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration” at a concert in Manchester, England, two days prior, Trump wrote, “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, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden … Sleepy Joe didn’t have a clue as to what he was doing, but Springsteen is ‘dumb as a rock.’”

At press time, neither Swift nor Springsteen had addressed Trump’s latest comments, but both have been vocal in their opposition to the Republican Party leader. In addition to backing his opponents in both of the past two elections, the “Karma” artist has criticized his policies on a number of occasions. And in 2020, the “Dancing in the Dark” rock star called Trump a “threat” to democracy, telling The Atlantic, “He simply makes any kind of reform that much harder … These are all existential threats to our democracy and our American way of life.”