The presidents of two chapters of the musicians union, the American Federation of Musicians, have issued a statement in support of Bruce Springsteen against criticism from President Donald Trump. Springsteen has long been critical of Trump and his policies. Earlier on Thursday, Trump issued a lengthy Truth Social post calling Springsteen a “bad, and very boring singer,” among other insults and asked his MAGA followers to boycott the artist.
Dan Point is the president of the AFM’s Local 802, based in Manhattan, while Marc Sazer is the president of Local 47, in Los Angeles. Springsteen is a union member of Locals 47 and 399 (in Asbury Park, NJ).
“We can not remain silent as one of our most celebrated members is singled out and personally attacked by the President of the United States,” Point and Sazer said. “Bruce Springsteen is not just a brilliant musician, he is a voice for working people, a symbol of American resilience, and an inspiration to millions in this country and around the world.
“From Nebraska to Born to Run, his music has spoken truth to power for decades, and that is exactly what he is doing now,” they continued. “Musicians have the right to freedom of expression, and we stand in complete solidarity with Bruce and every member who uses their platform to speak their conscience. Local 802 and Local 47 will always defend that right.”
In response, a rep for the White House tells Rolling Stone, “We refer you to the President’s TRUTH.”
Trump posted his comments two days after Springsteen kicked off a tour he promised would be “political.” At the opening night of the tour, in Minnesota, Springsteen pleaded for humanity in a speech before the concert began. “The America that I love, the America that I’ve written about for 50 years, that’s been a beacon of hope and liberty around the world, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless, and treasonous administration,” he said. “Tonight, we ask all of you to join with us in choosing hope over fear, democracy over authoritarianism, the rule of law over lawlessness, ethics over unbridled corruption, resistance over complacency, unity over division, and peace over war.”
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Springsteen also recently threw his support behind an American Civil Liberties Union campaign protesting one of Trump’s executive orders to change the Constitution so as to end birthright citizenship. An ad created by the ACLU uses Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.”
In January, a White House rep said it would not comment on Springsteen’s song, “Streets of Minneapolis,” which protested the presence of ICE and paid tribute to two Americans that ICE agents killed in the city. “The Trump administration is … not [focused on] random songs with irrelevant opinions and inaccurate information,” the rep said.
And when Springsteen announced the Land of Hope and Dreams tour, another White House rep released a statement calling Springsteen a “loser” and claiming the artist “has a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his brain.”
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In his Truth Social post, Trump attacked Springsteen’s physical appearance and echoed the White House rep’s accusation of “TDS.” Trump also previously attacked Springsteen, saying he “ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT.”
Springsteen told the Minnesota Star Tribune last month that he wasn’t worried about political blowback. “My job is very simple: I do what I want to do, I say what I want to say, and then people get to say what they want to say about it. … I don’t worry about if you’re going to lose this part of your audience,” he said. “I’ve always had a feeling about the position we play culturally, and I’m still deeply committed to that idea of the band. The blowback is just part of it. I’m ready for all that.”
