Bruce Springsteen isn't backing down. The rock musician, one of the loudest critics of former and current U.S. President Donald Trump for years, has once again made his political stance unmistakably clear. On Wednesday, he released a digital EP featuring four live recordings from his concert in Manchester, along with two on-stage speeches – in which he described Trump’s administration as “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous.”
Even the choice of songs sent a clear message: Springsteen opened the evening in Manchester - his third performance in the city - with the track "No Surrender." It was a musical signal in an increasingly heated political confrontation, which is now also being played out with satirical undertones.
Just hours after the release, Donald Trump responded – in typical fashion. A video appeared on his social media channel showing him playing golf. The ball he hits in the animation strikes Bruce Springsteen in the back just as he tries to climb onto the stage. The jab was obvious – and far from subtle.
Springsteen, a self-declared Trump opponent living in New Jersey – just like Trump himself – had launched the latest round of their feud with his remarks in England. Trump countered with a verbal attack, calling the musician a “dried-out prune of a rocker.”
The fronts have long since hardened, but neither man stands alone. From Trump’s camp, rocker Kid Rock weighed in, appearing twice on Fox News in recent days. He sharply criticized Springsteen and claimed his fellow Michigander Bob Seger “smokes” the Boss with ease. Springsteen, he said, is just another liberal millionaire desperate for Hollywood and elite approval. His working-class persona is fake – and his politics are “ass-backward.”
More criticism came on the Fox News show "The Five": former Trump press secretary Dana Perino called Springsteen overrated, while host Greg Gutfeld added a sexist slur.
But Springsteen is not without support. Neil Young publicly backed him, and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam used a concert in Pittsburgh to show solidarity with the musician. Springsteen had raised important issues, Vedder said – but instead of a real discussion, he was met with personal attacks. “No one is supposed to pick up a microphone or raise their voice in public anymore – or they’ll be silenced,” Vedder criticized. “This name-calling is beneath us.”
That night, Pearl Jam performed Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” – a musical gesture of solidarity with a clear political message.
Springsteen himself chose change: instead of ending with his usual "Land of Hope and Dreams," he closed with "No Surrender." The newly released EP also includes a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom” – a hymn to justice, freedom and human dignity.
The culture war between the rock star and the president has become a public spectacle. And Bruce Springsteen shows no signs of quieting down – even at nearly 75 years old.
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