Latest news with #LandofHope&Dreams'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Eric Church Defends Bruce Springsteen After President Trump Remarks, Says Political Parties Are ‘Total Bulls–t'
When Bruce Springsteen put the Donald Trump administration on blast at a concert in Manchester a few weeks ago, Eric Church was in the crowd. And in a new interview, the country star shared what he really thought of the moment that sparked a social media rampage led by the president against one of the country star's musical heroes. Speaking to Rolling Stone in an open-ended interview published Friday (June 6), Church made it clear that he thinks Springsteen — who made headlines for calling the White House 'corrupt, incompetent and treasonous' at his kickoff Land of Hope & Dreams Tour show in May — has the right 'to say and do what he wants.' More from Billboard Bruce Springsteen Drops 'Land of Hope & Dreams' EP Featuring Speech That Set Off President Trump The Weeknd Wanders Through Purgatory in 'Baptized in Fear' Music Video Miley Cyrus Says Madonna 'Was Down' to Mud Wrestle in a '4x4' Music Video, But Her Label Said No 'I respect the hell out of somebody having the balls to do something like that,' he told the publication. 'If you're Bruce Springsteen, at 75 years old, if that's what floats your boat, then you should do that. I was just ready to hear 'Chimes of Freedom.'' Regardless of whether you agree with Springsteen's comments, Church — who in 2011 paid tribute to the New Jersey rocker on Billboard Hot 100 No. 19 hit 'Springsteen' — added that he thinks the passion behind the moment only elevated the show itself. 'You could tell he wanted to get something off his chest,' said the 'Heart on Fire' artist. 'It added a little more, whatever that was … angst … and the show was fantastic. Best Springsteen show I've seen.' The topic of the E Street bandleader's viral speech came up as Church was discussing his thoughts on America's political landscape, which has been more fraught than ever since Trump returned to office in January. Following the Manchester show, the twice-impeached POTUS ranted on Truth Social that Springsteen was 'highly overrated,' 'dumb as a rock' and a 'dried out 'prune' of a rocker,' later lobbing long-debunked accusations that the 'Born in the U.S.A.' musician had participated in an 'illegal election scam' for Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, Americans' satisfaction with the economy under Trump has been dropping, while many people have been calling out the president's administration for working to slash funding for programs supporting reproductive healthcare, LGBTQ rights and more. But as the divide between Democrats and Republicans deepens, Church told Rolling Stone that he thinks pledging unconditional allegiance to any one political party is 'total bulls–t.' 'I have a problem with the political system where I believe things on both sides, but if I have to pick a party, it means that I can't believe some of those things,' he told the publication. 'If I'm a Republican or I'm a Democrat, I have to be all Republican or all Democrat, and there's no way those guys and girls believe that. There's no f–king way.' Even so, Church doesn't want to label himself as an 'independent. 'It sounds like I can't make up my mind,' he said. 'I bristle at that. But if you look at how broad these issues and topics are, I think there's a small percentage of Americans that truly believe in 100 percent of a party's platform. Most Americans go back and forth. I change my mind all the damn time.' The interview comes about a month after the release of Church's new album, Evangeline vs. the Machine, which debuted at No. 30 on the Billboard 200 in May. The North Carolina native also recently appeared on Morgan Wallen's chart-topping new album, I'm the Problem, guesting on the song 'Number 3 and Number 7,' which entered at No. 52 on the Hot 100 and No. 27 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Demands ‘Major' Investigation Into Beyoncé and Springsteen Appearances in Late-Night Rant
President Donald Trump escalated his feud against Bruce Springsteen in a late-night, all-caps rant calling for an investigation into the legendary rocker's performance at a Kamala Harris campaign rally. Springsteen kicked off his 'Land of Hope & Dreams' tour by saying the U.S. was in the hands of a 'corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration,' leading the president to fire back that Springsteen was a 'dried out prune of a rocker [who] ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT.' After the Boss responded at his show Saturday by calling Trump an 'unfit president' whose administration was 'persecuting people for their right to free speech and voicing their dissent,' Trump once again used social media to accuse Springsteen—along with Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and Bono—of making 'illegal' contributions to Harris' unsuccessful campaign. 'HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT?' Trump wrote. 'WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS? ISN'T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ? …AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO??? I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter.' The Democrats, however, already beat him to it, as Harris' campaign spending came under scrutiny after the campaign raised more than $1 billion but still lost every single battleground state during the election. That led some Democratic strategists to question expenditures including a $1 million town hall with Oprah Winfrey, and swing-state rallies featuring star performers such as Lady Gaga, Jon Bon Jovi, and Katy Perry, The New York Times reported. Springsteen performed at a Harris/Walz rally in Philadelphia on Oct. 28, while Beyoncé spoke at a Houston rally on Oct. 25. It's not clear what Bono has to do with the Harris campaign, though he did blast the president's foreign aid policy over the weekend at the launch of his Apple+ documentary, The Irish Star reported. Adrienne Elrod, who served as a senior adviser and senior spokesperson for the Harris campaign, told Deadline that the campaign did not pay for celebrity support. 'We have never paid any artist and performer,' she said. The campaign, however, was required by law to pay the ancillary costs of the performances, she said. Expenses such as sound, lighting, and support staff must be reimbursed, since companies are not allowed to give cash or in-kind donations to candidates, USA Today reported. Harris' expenditure filings appear to show the campaign paid Springsteen's production company Thrill Hill Productions about $75,000 on Nov. 19 for 'travel and event production.' The Daily Beast has contacted Springsteen's and Harris' reps for comment. Winfrey has previously said she was not 'paid a dime' for the town hall she hosted, Deadline and other outlets reported. Instead, the campaign paid her company, Harpo Productions, to provide sets, lights, cameras, microphones, crew, producers, and even the chairs used during the live event. 'I did not take any personal fee,' Winfrey wrote. 'However the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.' The campaign also paid Beyoncé's production company $165,000 about a month after the singer spoke at a Harris rally in Houston, according to USA Today. Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles, denied a claim going around in November that her daughter had been paid $10 million to appear alongside Harris. 'Beyoncé did not receive a penny for speaking at a presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris's Rally in Houston. In fact she actually paid for her own flights for her and her team, and total Glam,' Knowles wrote in an Instagram post. Trump nevertheless repeated the rumor in a follow-up Truth Social post on Monday. 'According to news reports, Beyoncé was paid $11,000,000 to walk onto a stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, NOT EVEN ONE SONG!' he wrote. 'Remember, the Democrats and Kamala illegally paid her millions of Dollars for doing nothing other than giving Kamala a full throated ENDORSEMENT. THIS IS AN ILLEGAL ELECTION SCAM AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL! IT IS AN ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION! BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, OPRAH, BONO AND, PERHAPS, MANY OTHERS, HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!!!'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Triggered Trump Unloads on Bruce Springsteen in Wild Rant
President Donald Trump is losing it after Bruce Springsteen torched his administration as 'treasonous' and 'incompetent.' '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,' the 78-year-old president fumed on Truth Social Friday morning. Calling Springsteen, 75, 'dumb as a rock' and 'Highly Overrated,' Trump went after the music legend for 'speaking badly about the President of the United States.' 'Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he's not a talented guy,' he said of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and one of the world's best-selling artists. '[He's] just a pushy, obnoxious JERK.' Though Trump now insists that he's never been a Springsteen fan, he used to blare 'Born in the U.S.A' at rallies in 2016—much to the rocker's dismay. The president's hissy fit came in response to Springsteen's remarks at the start of the 'Land of Hope & Dreams' European tour earlier this week. '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,' Springsteen told the crowd in Manchester, England before performing the tour's namesake song. 'Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!' Throughout the show, Springsteen—who performed at a rally for Kamala Harris last year—came back to the subject, slamming Trump for attacking the press, cozying up to dictators, and defunding universities, without directly naming him. He also decried the Trump administration for its 'sadistic' firing of federal workers, mass deportations, and for 'abandoning the world's poorest children to sickness and death.' It's not the first time the 'Dancing in the Dark' singer has taken aim at Trump—he's spent years warning that the former president poses a threat to democracy. But his latest rebukes clearly hit an nerve with the famously thin-skinned president, who launched into a familiar tirade against his predecessor—as he often does when trying to deflect criticism. He chastised Springsteen for supporting former President Joe Biden, whom he described as 'a mentally incompetent FOOL, and our WORST EVER President, who came close to destroying our Country.' 'If I wasn't elected, it would have been GONE by now!' he added. Trump is flying back to the United States after wrapping up his Middle East trip. In another unhinged Truth Social post he presumably typed out while aboard Air Force One, he said Taylor Swift had stopped being 'hot.'
Express Tribune
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Trump calls for investigation on Springsteen, Beyoncé for alleged payments received from Kamala Harris campaign
In another late-night social media tirade, former President Donald Trump escalated his ongoing feud with Bruce Springsteen by demanding a 'major investigation' into payments made to the rock legend and other celebrities for their appearances during Kamala Harris's 2024 presidential campaign. The controversy reignited after Springsteen launched his 'Land of Hope & Dreams' tour last week, slamming the Trump administration as 'corrupt, incompetent and treasonous.' Trump shot back, calling Springsteen a 'dried out prune of a rocker' who should 'KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT.' Springsteen responded from the stage, labeling Trump 'unfit' and accusing his administration of 'persecuting people for their right to free speech.' The verbal sparring quickly spilled over onto social media. Trump's latest post targets not just Springsteen, but also Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and Bono, accusing them of accepting illegal campaign payments for their support during Harris's unsuccessful run. 'HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE?' Trump wrote. 'WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN? ISN'T THAT ILLEGAL? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ, OPRAH, AND BONO? I am calling for a major investigation.' Springsteen performed at a Harris rally in Philadelphia last October, while Beyoncé spoke at one in Houston. Oprah hosted a $1 million town hall for the campaign, and Bono publicly criticized Trump's foreign policies, though his direct involvement with the campaign remains unclear. Democratic officials have already faced scrutiny over Harris's campaign spending, which topped $1 billion but failed to secure any battleground states. Senior advisers have insisted the campaign did not pay artists directly for endorsements. Adrienne Elrod, a senior Harris campaign spokesperson, told Deadline, 'We have never paid any artist or performer.' Campaign filings reveal payments to Springsteen's production company for 'travel and event production' costs, totaling around $75,000, while Beyoncé's production company received $165,000 after her Houston rally appearance. Oprah's team was also reimbursed for production expenses, but the star herself has said she did not take a personal fee. Despite the clarifications, Trump insists the expenditures violate campaign finance laws by disguising endorsements as entertainment payments. 'Candidates aren't allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS under the guise of entertainment,' Trump claimed. 'It's corrupt and unlawful.' As the battle of words rages on, the political and entertainment worlds watch closely to see if Trump's call for an investigation gains any traction — or if it's simply the latest episode in his ongoing war with his critics.
