Outspoken Democrat rock star Bruce Springsteen spiraled into an unhinged rant at a recent concert in Manchester, England, attacking President Trump’s character and accusing his administration of being “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous,” a statement that was met with wild applause from Springsteen’s UK audience.
For context, Springsteen, who has long been a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party, launched into a now-viral tirade during a concert on May 14, 2025, kicking off his “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour by airing grievances that have become familiar within the leftist rocker’s rhetoric, particularly accusing President Trump and his administration of being “crooks.”
According to press accounts, during the May 14 performance, Springsteen introduced the tour’s eponymous song by saying, “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.” He continued, “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!”
However, those comments were far from the only instance during the night that Springsteen used his platform to slam the Republican president. When introducing the track “House of a Thousand Guitars,” Springsteen said, “The last check, the last check on power after the checks and balances of government have failed, are the people, you and me.” He opined, “It’s in the union of people around a common set of values now that’s all that stands between a democracy and authoritarianism. So at the end of the day, all we’ve got is each other.”
Then, the 75-year-old musician, while introducing the song “My City of Ruin,” said that in America, “There’s some very weird, strange, and dangerous sh– going on out there right now,” adding, “In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now.” He continued, “In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now.”
Continuing, Springsteen accused the Trump Administration of “taking sadistic pleasure” in the plight of American workers, adding, “They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that 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.”
When X user The Unspin Room shared a clip of Springsteen’s “My City of Ruins” speech online, it quickly went viral, attracting support from leftists and harsh criticism from conservatives. The Unspin Room captioned their post, “Before singing of his city of ruin, Bruce Springsteen preaches of what is happening back home. He pulls no punches in a harsh sermon. This is part one of two on May 14, 2025, in Manchester.” They added, “Papa preach.”
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In response, the X user Terry Meiners shot back, “Bruce sold his catalog to Sony for $500-$600 million. What was that about rich people hoarding instead of helping the poor? 😂Right after this show, he flew away on his private jet. 😉” Another X user chimed in, “A screwdriver shoved in the eardrum is more pleasant than listening to Bruce Springsteen.”
Watch a clip of Springsteen’s rant:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video