Music Stars Voice Support for Bruce Springsteen in Clash with Trump
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Music stars, including Neil Young and Eddie Vedder, have voiced their support for Bruce Springsteen amid his clash with President Donald Trump.
Why It Matters
On the opening night of his Land of Hope and Dreams Tour, Springsteen decried the Trump administration, labeling it "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous."
Bruce Springsteen performs during the first night of his 'The Land of Hopes and Dreams' tour at Co-op Live on May 14, 2025, in Manchester, England.
Bruce Springsteen performs during the first night of his 'The Land of Hopes and Dreams' tour at Co-op Live on May 14, 2025, in Manchester, England.In response, the president called Springsteen "a pushy, obnoxious JERK" and a "dried-out 'prune' of a rocker" on his social media platform, Truth Social. Springsteen spoke out again after this, saying that events in America are "altering the very nature of our country's democracy" and that elected officials have "utterly failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government."
What To Know
In a new blog post on the Neil Young Archives website, Young wrote, "Bruce and thousands of musicians think you are ruining America.
He continued, "Taylor Swift is right. So is Bruce. You know how I feel. You are more worried about yourself than AMERICA. Wake up Trump!! Remember what the White House is?"
Swift and Springsteen have both been publicly mentioned by the president in recent days. On May 16, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Has anyone noticed that, since I said, 'I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,' she's no longer 'HOT?'"
Swift has not responded to this. She endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and has been critical of Trump in the past.
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder has also spoken out in support of Springsteen. "Part of free speech is open discussion, part of democracy is healthy public discourse. The name calling is so beneath us. Bruce has always been a true American with his values of freedom and liberty and his justice has always remained in tact," he said.
The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) has also endorsed Springsteen and Swift. They said they would "not remain silent" as two of their members were "attacked." They wrote that Swift and Springsteen are "role models" and "inspirations" to millions.
Some other musicians have also spoken out against Trump and the current administration. In February, Jack White played the final date of his North American 'No Name' tour in Boston, where he played a version of the song "Corporation," which took aim at Trump and his close ally, Elon Musk.
White sang, "I'm thinking about not being elected. Never holding a public office. Never serving one day of military service, But somehow having the authority to control parts of the US Government; Who's with me?" and "I'm thinking about not being properly vetted by the Supreme Court or Congress, Just doing whatever the hell I want because some f****** bloated a****** orange f****** gorilla whose failed at every business he's ever ran wants me to be his golf cart partner."
The band Green Day has also addressed Trump. During their headline set at Coachella, they changed the lyric in "American Idiot" to "I'm not a part of a MAGA agenda," and did the same for their song "Jesus of Suburbia" where they sang, "Am I r******* or am I just J.D. Vance?"
Meanwhile, 250 celebrities from multiple industries recently signed a full-page ad for Planned Parenthood in The New York Times. The ad reads "I'm for Planned Parenthood... Because I'm for freedom... because I'm for healthcare... because I'm for you and me — not the government — deciding what care we need and where we can get it."
The ad has been signed by musical stars, including Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo, and Addison Rae. It comes after the Trump administration has intensified efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.
What People Are Saying
The American Federation of Musicians, in a statement shared on social media: "Whether it's Born in the USA of the Eras Tour, their music is timeless, impactful and has deep cultural meaning. Musicians have the right to freedom of expression, and we stand in solidarity with all our members."
Neil Young, in a post on the Neil Young Archives: "You are more worried about yourself than AMERICA. Wake up Trump!! Remember what the White House is?"
Bruce Springsteen, speaking at his concert: "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."
What's Next
A number of American artists, including Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo, will perform at the Glastonbury Festival in June, where they may well address American politics.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
9 minutes ago
- Newsweek
How 'Karate Kid: Legends' is Connected to 'Cobra Kai'—Which to Watch First
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors The sixth movie in the Karate Kid franchise, "Karate Kid: Legends," has officially hit theaters. And even though critics don't seem to be too fond of the film, fans of the series and general audiences seem to be loving it. "Karate Kid: Legends" brings back to beloved characters to the cinema: Jackie Chan as Mr. Han and Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso. Additionally, the film stars Ben Wang as Li Fong, their new student. While Chan hasn't been seen in the series since the last film was in theaters back in 2010, Macchio has been a regular fixture of the wildly popular "Cobra Kai" series on Netflix, which just released its sixth and final season. More Entertainment: 'Karate Kid: Legends' - Everything We Know So Far Naturally, this has fans of the television show wondering if anything from "Cobra Kai" will make it into the film. That being said, these same fans may be disappointed. Warning: This article contains spoilers for both "Karate Kid: Legends" and "Cobra Kai" Season 6. Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' Sony Pictures How is 'Cobra Kai' Connected to 'Karate Kid: Legends'? "Karate Kid: Legends" is focused on continuing the story and legacy from the previous Karate Kid films. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to fully include "Cobra Kai." "There are many, many seasons of 'Cobra Kai.' This is not a 'Cobra Kai' movie. It's within the Karate Kid universe," director Jonathan Entwistle said, per Jake Hodges and Perri Nemiroff of Collider. "It's another chapter in the story. It's another graphic novel in the sequence." This doesn't mean that "Cobra Kai" fans have been cut out completely. In a post-credits sequence, William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence shows up to hang out with Daniel after he receives a heartwarming letter from Li. However, that's all fans of the Netflix series will be getting. Do You Need to Watch 'Cobra Kai' Before 'Karate Kid: Legends'? Based on this information, it doesn't feel like watching "Cobra Kai" is at all necessary to enjoy "Karate Kid: Legends." Instead, fans of the franchise should turn their heads to the original movies starring Macchio and Pat Morita, as well as "The Karate Kid" from 2010 starring Chan and Jaden Smith. More Entertainment: Jackie Chan, 71, Injured During Filming Still, it is absolutely worth watching all six seasons of "Cobra Kai" just because it is wildly entertaining television with exciting martial arts action and plenty of drama. Additionally, if you want to see everything in the Karate Kid universe, "The Next Karate Kid" is also a fun watch with Morita reprising his role as Mr. Miyagi and a young Hilary Swank playing Julie Pierce, his new student. More Entertainment: Stephen King 'Carrie' Remake Officially Reveals Main Cast The Real-Life Tech Bros that Inspired HBO Max's 'Mountainhead' New on Prime Video: Full List of Movies, Shows Hitting the Streaming Platform in June 2025 For more movie, television, and entertainment news, head on over to Newsweek Entertainment.
New York Times
14 minutes ago
- New York Times
An Immigrant Was Accused of Threatening Trump. Prosecutors Say He Was Framed.
The allegation was chilling. An undocumented immigrant, the Department of Homeland Security said last week, had threatened in a letter to kill the president and then 'self deport myself back to Mexico.' 'Thanks to our ICE officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars,' Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said in a news release that included photos of the immigrant and of the letter, handwritten in blue ink. Not long after the announcement, the government's story began to look shaky. Lawyers for the Mexican man, Ramon Morales Reyes, held a news conference proclaiming his innocence. And as detectives in Wisconsin, where Mr. Morales Reyes lived, began looking deeper, they came to believe he had been framed. By this week, Milwaukee County prosecutors had filed identity theft and witness intimidation charges against another man, a lifelong Wisconsin resident. They said that man, Demetric D. Scott, had written several threatening letters that included Mr. Morales Reyes's name in the return address. Prosecutors said it was an attempt to catch the attention of the Trump administration and weaponize the threat of deportation against Mr. Morales Reyes, who was scheduled to testify against Mr. Scott at a robbery trial next month. On one level, the plan described by Wisconsin prosecutors worked. Top Trump administration officials took notice, and Mr. Morales Reyes, who worked as a dishwasher, was jailed. Even with Mr. Scott now facing charges, Mr. Morales Reyes remains in custody, awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge and facing the possibility of deportation. Federal officials said Mr. Morales Reyes had a history of entering the country illegally and an arrest record. The Trump administration has taken an aggressive stance on deportation and immigration, claiming a mandate from voters on the issue. But advocates for immigrants warned that the administration's approach had contributed to an atmosphere of fear and suspicion. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
14 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump Rescinds Biden Policy Requiring Hospitals to Provide Emergency Abortions
The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it had revoked a Biden administration requirement that hospitals provide emergency abortions to women whose health is in peril, including in states where abortion is restricted or banned. The move by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a branch of the department led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was not a surprise. But it added to growing confusion around emergency care and abortions since June 2022, when the Supreme Court rescinded the national right to abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade. 'It basically gives a bright green light to hospitals in red states to turn away pregnant women who are in peril,' Lawrence O. Gostin, a health law expert at Georgetown University, said of the Trump administration's move. The administration did not explicitly tell hospitals that they were free to turn away women seeking abortions in medical emergencies. Its policy statement said hospitals would still be subject to a federal law requiring them to provide reproductive health care in emergency situations. But it did not explain exactly what that meant. Mr. Gostin and other experts said the murky policy could have dire consequences for pregnant women by discouraging doctors from performing emergency abortions in states where abortions are banned or restricted. 'We've already seen since the overturn of Roe that uncertainty and confusion tends to mean physicians are unwilling to intervene, and the more unwilling physicians are to intervene, the more risk there is in pregnancy,' said Mary Ziegler, a professor at the University of California-Davis and a historian of the American abortion debate. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
