US President Donald Trump has called on his supporters to boycott rock legend Bruce Springsteen’s concerts, escalating a public dispute over the administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump (79) described Springsteen as “a dried up prune who has suffered greatly from the work of a really bad plastic surgeon” and claimed the singer’s shows are “overpriced” and “suck”.
The attack follows Springsteen’s increasingly vocal criticism of the Trump administration’s mass deportation operations, which have involved raids by masked federal agents and sparked widespread controversy.
On Saturday, Springsteen headlined a “No King’s” rally in Minneapolis, an event organisers estimated drew around 200 000 attendees. The city has become a flashpoint for protests against the immigration crackdown after masked immigration agents shot dead two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in separate incidents.
In January, Springsteen released “Streets of Minneapolis,” a protest song written in response to the deaths. The track, which the 20-time Grammy winner penned and recorded in 24 hours, refers to immigration agents as “King Trump’s private army” wearing “occupiers’ boots” and with “guns belted to their coats.”
“There were bloody footprints where mercy should have stood, and two dead left to die on snow-filled streets: Alex Pretti and Renee Good,” Springsteen sings in the opening verse.
Speaking to the Minneapolis audience before performing the song, Springsteen recounted sending the track to former Rage Against The Machine frontman Tom Morello for feedback.
“I said ‘Tom, what do you think? It’s kind of soapboxey.’ And he says: ‘Bruce, nuance is wonderful, but sometimes you have to kick them in the teeth,’” Springsteen told the crowd.
The song’s title echoes Springsteen’s 1994 classic “Streets of Philadelphia,” which addressed the AIDS crisis.
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Springsteen has been a prominent critic of Trump since the 2024 election campaign, when he supported Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. At the time, he called Trump an aspiring “American tyrant” and said the president “does not understand this country, its history or what it means to be deeply American.”
The rock icon, known for socially conscious working-class anthems such as “Born in the USA,” “The River,” and “Rosalita,” has built a five-decade career as a voice for American workers and marginalised communities.
Trump has recently sought to address the controversy surrounding the Minneapolis operations, shuffling the leadership of immigration officials overseeing the enforcement activities and placing a less confrontational figure in charge.
