President Donald Trump escalated his feud with Bruce Springsteen over the long weekend, calling for a “major investigation” into the rock legend after Springsteen branded the Trump administration as “corrupted, incompetent and offensive” at a concert in the UK last week.
Earlier on Monday, Trump was preparing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he worked on the Truth Society to post long all-cap screeds against Springsteen and other Hollywood A-listers who supported Kamala Harris in last year's presidential election.
“How much did Kamala Harris pay Bruce Springsteen for his poor performance during the campaign for the President?” Trump wrote online in a message released in the middle of the night. “If he's such a fan of her, why did he accept that money? Isn't it a major, illegal campaign contribution? What about Beyoncé? … And how much did he go to Oprah and Bono?”
“I'm asking for a massive investigation into this issue. The candidates are not allowed to pay for approval. This is what Kamala did, pretending to pay for entertainment,” the president continued in a rumour. “And more, this was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowd. It's not legal! For these unpatriotic “celebrities,” this was a corrupt and illegal way to take advantage of the broken system. ”
@RealdonaldTrump / Truth Social
Entertainment details more videos
But he didn't stop there. After almost eight hours he returned to the subject.
“According to the news report, Beyoncé was paid $11,000,000 to walk to the stage and quickly supported Kamala and went out booing loudly for not performing instead of just one song!” he wrote.
“Remember that Democrats and Kamala illegally paid millions of dollars for not doing anything but giving Kamala a full compliment.
“This is an illegal election fraud at the highest level! It's an illegal campaign contribution! There's a lot to do for Bruce Springsteen, Oprah, Bono and perhaps many others!!” he concluded.
@RealdonaldTrump / Truth Socila
None of Trump's claims have been demonstrated.
Breaking the national news
For news that affects Canada and the world, sign up to break news alerts delivered directly when they occur.
Springsteen, a longtime opposition to the president, rose to life last week as one of Trump's most prominent cultural critics, in an oral takedown from the British stage.
He told the Manchester audience that he believes Trump is “unsuitable” for an oval office.
While introducing him and the E Street Band's Song Hopes and Dreams, Springsteen, “In my home, in America I love, in America I wrote, was a beacon of hope and freedom for 250 years, but now in the hands of a corrupt, indifferent, discordant administration.”
“The last check after government checks and balances have failed is you and me. It's now a coalition of people around a common value. That's all between democracy and authoritarianism.
Trend now
Where Canadian housing markets can go next as summer approaches
Canada Post Strike: This is what is still being delivered with work stoppage
In response, Trump later accused the boss of being “very overrated” and “not a talented man.”
“I think that the highly overrated Bruce Springsteen is going abroad to talk badly about the US president,” Trump writes about the true society. “I didn't like him, I didn't like his music or his radical left politics, and importantly, he's not a talented guy.”
He accused Springsteen of being “a forceful and uncomfortable jerk” and “as stupid as a rock,” and focused on his appearance.
“This dry 'pruning' in the locker (all his skin atrophy!) should leave his mouth closed until he returns to the country,” the president wrote.
“Then we're all going to see what it will happen to him!”
Springsteen supported Harris about a month before the election last fall, suggesting that he should have disqualified him from fleeing from the sanctity of our constitution, the sanctity of democracy, the sanctity of the rule of law, and the sanctity of the peaceful transfer of power.
Springsteen is nothing new to this game
It's not the first time Springsteen has spoken to Trump or a Republican president.
When former President Ronald Reagan referenced Springsteen's “Message of Hope” at a campaign stop amid the popularity of the American popular rocker, Springsteen wondered whether Reagan had heard his music and references to those left behind in the economy of the 1980s.
He has also occasionally developed a relationship with former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a former Republican presidential candidate and a fan of his music.
Bruce Springsteen will perform on the first night of his “Land of Hopes and Dreams” tour at Co-Op Live, held in Manchester, England on May 14, 2025.
Shirlaine Forrest / Getty Images
Springsteen campaigned for Trump's enemies, including Harris last fall. In 2020 he said, “A significant portion of our amazing country has been brainwashed and thoroughly hypnotized by Queens con artists.”
During his career, Springsteen challenged his audience politically beyond the president's support. The 1995 album The Ghost of Tom Joad dulled the lives of struggling immigrants. They are Mexicans and Vietnamese. The American Skin (41 shot) from the 2001 song criticized the shooting of an unarmed Guinea immigrant named Amadu Dialo by a New York City police officer, angering some of the blue-collar segments of fans.
– Using the Associated Press Files with Rachel Goodman from Global News
Curator Recommendations
Play more and pay less – Top Toys and Game Deals
The perfect natural deodorant to keep you feeling fresh
&Copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.