Bruce Springsteen vs. Trump. Fans, for the most part, support the Boss

Show Caption

Bruce Springsteen fans are standing by their Boss.

The majority of Springsteen fans have been supportive of the Freehold native after he called the Trump administration “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous,” and asked “all who believe in democracy and the best of our American spirit to rise with us, raise your voices and stand with us against authoritarianism and let freedom ring” from the stage of the Co-op Live in Manchester, UK on May 14 and 17.

President Donald Trump replied by calling him a “dried out prune” May 16 on Truth Social.

“Silence is complicity. Say it louder Bruce!” commented a fan on Facebook.

“Bruce Springsteen is the boss! Not liking him is inconceivable. Just one more way Trump has shown us his insides are styrofoam and regret,” commented a fan on Reddit.

The shows, dubbed “The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour,” have a central theme of “the America Bruce Springsteen wrote and believed isn’t what his country is today,” said Canadian fan Howard Bloom of Ottawa, who was in the audience for the May 14 show.

“I’ve lived much of my life though the words and music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. May 14, 2025, the opening night of The Land of Hopes and Dreams Tour will forever represent a defining personal moment for my journey and easily one of the greatest concert experiences ever!” Bloom said.

However, Springsteen has many fans who are not aligned with the Boss politically, and consequently are wavering in their support of his stance, such as Judy Kroll of Holland, Pennsylvania, who first heard “The Land of Hope and Dreams” in 1999 sung by Springsteen in Convention Hall in Asbury Park.

“To me, it was an embodiment of all his other messages in his songs,” Kroll said. “It spoke of fields of sunlight streaming and a better tomorrow. It gave me hope that 'everyone' was included on this train no matter what. We live in the U.S., which means that it’s OK to disagree and vote for who you choose without being shamed or name-called.

"Now, 25 years later, he’s taken the song and turned it into a protest mantra against Trump and the people who voted for him. I feel that instead of seeking unity, he’s calling for division.”

The democracy statements by Springsteen at the shows have been a big topic of discussion for fans.

“The ones that agree are backing him 100 percent pretty much everywhere, and the ones that don't are trying hard to voice their opinion without trashing,” said Audrey Hunn, administrator of the Calling All Bruce Springsteen Fans! Facebook group. “Then they start arguing with other fans and it gets very petty.”

The Spring-Nuts Facebook group have turned off comments on postings related to the Springsteen statements.

“Since this leg of the tour has taken on a hard political identity, all of Bruce's statements are going to be posted, as is any relevant and credible news pertaining to Bruce,” said administrator Howie Chaz in a group post on Monday, May 19. “But we are no longer doing the 'op-eds,' where we allow everyone to go off on each other.

"Popular opinion or not, agree with us or not, it's not what we want here in this group … If you feel the need to express your opinion and want to debate with other fans, there are plenty of other wonderful groups out there to do so, or you can text your fellow Springsteen fans, messenger them, whatever you want to do, but we are no longer doing it here.”

Trump rejoined the Springsteen discussion on Monday by calling for an investigation into whether Springsteen and Beyoncé were paid to endorse former Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential run.

“I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter,” said Trump Monday on Truth Social. “Candidates aren't allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment.”

Up next for Springsteen and the E Street Band is a show back at Co-op Live on Tuesday, May 20. Below are his statements at the tour opening show on May 14.

Introduction to 'Land of Hope and Dreams'

"Good Evening! It's great to be in Manchester and back in the UK. Welcome to 'The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour!' The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n roll in dangerous times.

"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!"

Introduction to 'House of a Thousand Guitars'

"The last check, 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."

Introduction to 'My City of Ruins'

"There's some very weird, strange and dangerous (blank) 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.

"In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now. 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. They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They are defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands. They are removing residents off American streets and without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all 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."

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com