Trump versus Springsteen: dried plum versus would-be king

Anti-Trump- Protestsong: “Streets of Minneapolis”

On Saturday, Springsteen sang his protest song “Streets of Minneapolis,” which he wrote specifically for the city, in front of tens of thousands at the “No Kings” demonstration. Springsteen wrote the song after the fatal shootings of US citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were shot by ICE forces on the sidelines of protests against Trump’s immigration policies. In the song, Springsteen describes the US immigration agency ICE as the “private army of the would-be king” Trump.

No new king, 250 years after the last

The uprising against this would-be king has now become the leitmotif of the protests – especially in the USA’s anniversary year. 250 years after they got rid of the last king – at that time it was the British King George – no new one will be accepted. The most recent protests on the last weekend of March took place in 50 states and, according to organizers, around eight million people took part.

Trump calls for a boycott of the concerts

Trump, who is now noticeably losing his temper when it comes to Springsteen, described the performances as “overpriced” and “lousy” and called for a boycott – with little chance of success. Springsteen tours are traditionally one of the biggest concert events in the USA, with stadiums selling out months in advance.

Trump also wrote Thursday of Springsteen that he was “a dried-up prune who has suffered greatly from the procedures of a really bad plastic surgeon” and urged his supporters to stay away from the concerts.

He suffers from “Trump delusion”

When the music legend announced his new tour, there was strong headwind from the White House. “He suffers from a severe form of Trump madness that has rotted his brain.”commented the White House.

The 20-time Grammy winner Springsteen, now 76 years old, is considered one of Trump’s loudest critics in the US cultural scene and has, among other things, condemned the president’s crackdown on undocumented migrants and the actions of the US immigration agency ICE.

Distance from daily politics

Springsteen, whose songs have revolved around social and therefore political issues for decades, has mostly consciously stayed out of day-to-day politics. Even though he expressed open sympathy for some top US politicians, such as US President Barack Obama, he never allowed himself to be used for election campaigns and also refused to allow his songs to be used.

Ronald Reagan publicly reprimanded

When in the 1980s US President Ronald Reagan used Springsteen’s song “Born in the USA” for his election campaign and openly expressed admiration for the musician, calling him “an example of the American dream” that gave hope to many Americans, Reagan publicly rebuked him. “Born in the USA”, a song about the trauma of the Vietnam War, shows the dark side of America. The president obviously misunderstood him.

Songs for the victims of September 11th

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Springsteen performed in New York and dedicated some of his songs from the album “The Rising” to the victims of the terrorist attacks, such as the firefighters who died in the Twin Towers.

But Springsteen has never taken such a clear political stand as he has now in his entire career. At the concert in Minneapolis, he addressed his audience in a long speech: “This White House is destroying the American idea and our reputation in the world,” Springsteen preached: “We are no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave. To many, we are now a ruthless, unpredictable, predatory rogue country. That is the legacy of this administration and this president. This is happening now.”

Insulting the protest participants

In return, the White House criticized the protests. A White House spokeswoman said of the events: “The only people who care about these anti-Trump therapy sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them.” Trump called previous demonstrations under the same slogan a “joke” and dismissed participants as “crazy.” But Springsteen also makes it clear what it’s all about for him. “About hope against fear, democracy against authoritarian rule, peace against war.”