New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen, who campaigned for Kamala Harris in 2024 and for every Democrat presidential nominee since John Kerry, had an epic show-long meltdown at the opening concert for his European tour in Manchester, England, Wednesday night over President Donald Trump’s triumphant return to the presidency.
Bruce Springsteen in concert at Manchester, England, screen image via Instagram, May 14, 2025.
Springsteen called Trump and his administration, “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous,” and an “unfit president and a rogue government,” among many criticisms.
Not a word by Springsteen about Trump working to bring good paying blue collar jobs back to America for the people whom Springsteen has made a career out of channeling their economic woes, or of Trump trying to prevent pointless, endless wars (both the subject of Youngstown.)
Springsteen also criticized the Trump administration for “defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands,” when the demands are to protect the rights of Jewish students under federal civil rights laws from Hamas supporting students, professors and administrators; and to protect women and girls from transgender men taking over their Title IX protected sports.
The show opened with Springsteen railing against Trump in a speech to the UK audience as an introduction to his song, Land of Hope and Dreams. He trashed Trump again in speeches before House of a Thousand Guitars and My City of Ruins. The anti-Trump song Rainmaker was also played, which Springsteen dedicated to “our dear leader.” Springsteen closed the show by playing Bob Dylan’s Chimes of Freedom, a song he reportedly had not performed live since he headlined the Amnesty International world tour in 1988.
Springsteen cloaked his remarks in “democracy”, failing to acknowledge that Trump was democratically elected in 2024 by the American people, sweeping all seven swing states, winning half the popular vote and a landslide in the Electoral College with voters giving Republicans control of both the the House and Senate as well as the White House.
Springsteen had a tantrum overseas because the American people overwhelmingly rejected his politics of open borders, social tyranny, high (ticket) prices and economic stagnation, transgenderism, racially divisive DEI policies, climate cultism and weak foreign policy that put the globe on the edge of nuclear World War III.
Let’s face it, the Boss is basically a European act. He’s more comfortable over there, and he spitefully refuses to play his tribute to Vietnam veterans, Born in the U.S.A, at American concerts, reserving it his for fans overseas, especially Europe where he played BIUSA for the first encore at Wednesday night’s show.
Springsteen’s team posted video and text of his remarks:
Text of Springsteen’s remarks:
Introduction to Land of Hope and Dreams
Good Evening!
It’s great to be in Manchester and back in the U.K. Welcome to the Land of Hope & Dreams Tour! The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n’ roll in dangerous times.
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.
Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!
Introduction to House of a Thousand Guitars
The last check, the last check on power after the checks and balances of government have failed are the people, you and me. It’s in the union of people around a common set of values now that’s all that stands between a democracy and authoritarianism. At the end of the day, all we’ve got is each other.
Introduction to My City of Ruins
There’s some very weird, strange and dangerous shit going on out there right now. In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now.
In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now.
In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers.
They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that has led to a more just and plural society.
They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They are defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands.
They are removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all happening now.
A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government. They have no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American.
The America I’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people. So we’ll survive this moment. Now, I have hope, because I believe in the truth of what the great American writer James Baldwin said. He said, “In this world, there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough.” Let’s pray.
Audience video of show closer Chimes of Freedom from Manchester:
The 75-year-old Springsteen has not announced any U.S. shows as of yet for after the European tour. Springsteen usually does a summertime U.S. stadium tour after hitting Europe. After making this show so much about Trump Derangement Syndrome, it will be interesting to see how Springsteen would be received at shows in the States.
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