How Donald Trump's Furious War With Bruce Springsteen is Benefitting One Person — The Boss
Donald Trump has entered into a new war of words with Bruce Springsteen.
May 19 2025, Published 2:15 p.m. ET
Bruce Springsteen's scathing rant against Donald Trump and his presidential policies last week might not have been a spontaneous outburst, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Some music experts question whether the Boss's critical series of speeches was all an elaborate and effective public relations stunt.
The rocker started his U.K. tour with some harsh words for his home.
Springsteen opened the first night of his 2025 European tour last week by lashing out at the president multiple times before three different songs.
The Born in the U.S.A. rocker has been specifically critical of Trump in the past, however, some think his latest salvo was a bit more premeditated.
Songwriter Jeff Slate wondered if the sudden attack from one Boss to another was really just an attempt to stay relevant.
"Springsteen is 75 now and not making new music of any real impact," he wrote in an MSNBC op-ed.
"Certainly, he knew there was a good chance Trump would react angrily. The pristine video posted to (Springsteen's) website (and the transcript of his polemic) definitely telegraphed that.
"By taunting Trump and getting him to punch down, Springsteen gets to play the hero again to his legions of fans. It also gives him a jolt of cultural relevance – or at least a news cycle or two – at a good time."
Springsteen Speaks His Mind
In the first of three statements given to fans in Manchester, just before performing his song Land of Hope and Dreams, Springsteen lectured the crowd: "In my home, 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.
"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!"
Later, introducing House of a Thousand Guitars, he paused the concert to rail: "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."
Method To His Madness
Trump had his own rebuttal.
He saved his longest remark for the introduction of My City of Ruins, expressing: "There’s some very weird, strange and dangerous s-- going on out there right 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."
Slate applauded the words, but questioned the timing and reasoning behind them.
"I want to believe that Springsteen’s speech – which was cheered as a "must-watch" across my social media feed – was delivered for unselfish reasons," he summarized.
"There’s certainly no doubt he meant every word of what he said. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to have much of a discernible impact."
Trump's Turn
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
The president slammed Springsteen in a vicious post.
If Springsteen's messages were indeed bait for Trump, the president swallowed it down hook, line and sinker. It didn't take long for him to respond on his Truth Social platform.
"I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States," Trump tweeted. "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."
Trump continued his tirade: "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.'"
