When Bruce Springsteen embarked on his English tour last week, kicking it off with a fiery denunciation of President Trump, the president struck back on social media, mockingly suggesting that Mr. Springsteen should "KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT" until he sets foot back on American soil. Unfazed by the president's sarcasm, Mr. Springsteen unleashed a six-track EP this week, whose opening track boldly asserts that America is "currently ensnared by a corrupt, incompetent, and treacherous administration."
The new EP, titled "Land of Hope & Dreams," seamlessly blends songs with Mr. Springsteen's pointed political commentary from his May 14 concert in Manchester, England. In the introductory notes to the song "My City of Ruins," Mr. Springsteen adopts a melancholic tone, informing the audience that, in the United States, authorities were "prosecuting individuals for exercising their right to free speech and voicing their opposition." He lambasted the nation for slashing aid to the impoverished, abandoning allies, reversing civil rights protections, defunding universities, and deporting individuals without proper legal proceedings.
"A majority of our elected representatives have failed to safeguard the American people from the misuse of power by an unfit president and a rogue government," Mr. Springsteen lamented. "They have neither the concern nor the understanding of what it truly means to be profoundly American."
Given Mr. Springsteen's endorsement of Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign and his long-standing support for Democratic candidates, his remarks were perhaps not unexpected. However, they stood out as numerous other prominent stars seemed to have softened their criticism of the president.
After Mr. Springsteen's comments were reported last week, Mr. Trump struck back with a social media post, dismissing him as a "withered, dried-up rocker (his skin all shriveled up!)." After instructing Mr. Springsteen to remain silent until his return to the United States, the president threatened, "Then we'll all see how it goes for him!"
Since then, Mr. Trump has continued to criticize Mr. Springsteen, even calling for a "major investigation" into him and other celebrities, including Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and Bono, on Monday.
