Donald Trump decides to verbally spar with Bruce Springsteen and winds up on the receiving end of a beatdown, as "The Boss" shows the prez who is boss

Someone needs to whip Trump's ass. Could Bruce Springsteen do it? You make the call. (Jeff Tiedrich)

Has the president of the United States issued a threat against one of the most revered artists in the modern history of American music? To arrive at an answer to that question, let's examine the verbal fireworks that exploded over the weekend between Donald Trump and Bruce Springsteen, long known in musical circles as "The Boss," a sign of the respect he has engendered over a career spanning more than 50 years. The son of a bus driver, Springsteen's legend grew from humble roots in Freehold, a township of 35,000 people about  a 30-minute drive from the New Jersey coast. Springsteen long has been associated with Asbury Park, a beach town that includes the Stone Pony music venue, which helped launch his career. 

How did verbal sparks start to fly between Trump an Springsteen? The short answer: Springsteen committed the mortal sin of speaking honestly and from the heart about the assault on democracy, human rights, and the rule of law that is "happening now" under the Trump administration. Springsteen spoke from the stage on opening night of his European concert tour, which kicked off in Manchester, England. A sold-out crowd of 23,500 packed Co-op Live Arena to see Springsteen with his E-Street Band. The first show on "The Land of Hope and Dreams" Tour drew rave reviews, such as this one from the Manchester Evening News and this one from the Liverpool Echo and this one from Mojo Magazine.

A full transcript of Springsteen's Trump-related remarks can be read here, at the Blogness on the Edge of Town website. A video post of the Springsteen concert in Manchester, from the "Blogness" site, is available via a link at the end of this post.

Trump doesn't seem to care for honesty, and he likes criticism even less, so he responded in typical Trump fashion -- with insults and threats. He even expanded his blitzkrieg of insults to include another musical icon, Taylor Swift -- and we can find no reports that she has said anything of substance about Trump in the past year or so -- at least not since her record-breaking Eras tour ended and the 2024 election -- in which she was an outspoken supporter of Democrat Kamala Harris -- was in the books. We will have more on Trump's inexplicable verbal assault against Taylor Swift in an upcoming post. But first, let's look at details on the Trump-Springsteen contretemps, which come from Newsweek in an article published yesterday under the headline "Bruce Springsteen Speaks Out Again After Trump's 'Dried-Out Prune' Jibe." London-based investigative reporter Kate Plummer reports:

Bruce Springsteen has spoken out against the White House again after President Donald Trump called him a "dried-out prune" on social media.

Speaking in Manchester, England, the musician criticized the government for the second time during his Land of Hopes and Dreams tour, despite Trump previously biting back.

Why It Matters

Springsteen is an influential figure who has released 21 studio albums over the past five-plus decades. The 75-year-old musician has previously endorsed Democratic candidates, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and ahead of the 2024 presidential election described Trump as the "most dangerous candidate for president" in his lifetime.

Tensions between Springsteen and Trump started when the rocker denounced the administration in the opening remarks of his tour in Manchester on Wednesday night, resulting in the president lashing out in response.

What To Know

"Tonight we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voice against authoritarianism and let freedom ring," Springsteen said on Wednesday.

He also referenced Trump's deportations and said America was "persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent."

He said Trump was "an unfit president" who was in charge of "a rogue government" that was "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous."

In response, Trump took to his social-media platform Truth Social and called Springsteen "a pushy, obnoxious JERK" and a "dried-out 'prune' of a rocker."

Springsteen did not back down; in fact, he went after Trump even harder. If Springsteen said anything that is untrue, I can't find it. His was an eloquent voice, speaking out of pain, frustration, and anger -- sentiments clearly shared by many of his fellow Americans. The message might have included a touch of fear, even for someone as famous and beloved as Springsteen. The fear, I'm guessing, does not grow from Trump but out of a chunk of our populace -- people both powerful and powerless -- who seem unconcerned about the economic and societal calamity that is brewing around the next bend. In fact, many people who supported Trump in 2024, it appears, would be fine if Trump managed to return to the White House for a constitutionally prohibited third term. Plummer addresses Springsteen's retort to Trump's social-media post:

Springsteen spoke out again after Trump's social media post, saying that events in America "are altering the very nature of our country's democracy."

"In my home, they're persecuting people for their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. That's happening now," Springsteen said. "In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world's poorest children to sickness and death. That's happening now. In my country, they're taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers."

He added that authorities were "removing residents off American streets without due process" and that elected officials had "utterly failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government."

What People Are Saying

President Donald Trump on Truth Social: "Sleepy Joe didn't have a clue as to what he was doing, but Springsteen is 'dumb as a rock,' and couldn't see what was going on, or could he (which is even worse!)? 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, that's just 'standard fare.' Then we'll all see how it goes for him!"

Republican California Governor candidate Steve Hilton wrote on X: "I may not have been 'born in the USA' like Bruce Springsteen, but I moved here and became an American by choice. So I'm disgusted to see him running around England criticizing our country. Maybe he should stay there!"

What Happens Next

Springsteen's tour is scheduled to run until July and will see him play 16 shows across six European countries.

A link to a video post of the Springsteen concert is available here. (Hat tip to Blogness on the Edge of Town.)