CNN
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President Donald Trump had some words for The Boss.
In a Friday morning Truth Social post, the president criticized Bruce Springsteen for “go[ing] to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States.”
The president’s comments come days after Springsteen lambasted Trump during the first show of his latest tour with the E Street Band. Speaking at the Manchester-based concert on Wednesday, Springsteen branded the Trump administration “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous,” calling on “all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us.”
“Raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring,” Springsteen said at the Mancunian show.
The setlist was a marked departure from the band’s post-pandemic shows. While the last few years have seen Springsteen play a mostly autobiographical, introspective set devoid of the political statements that have been the hallmarks of his career, the performance on Wednesday — Springsteen’s first since Trump returned to the Oval Office — included several.
A representative for Springsteen did not respond to a request for comment after Trump’s social media post.
Trump’s Truth Social post also saw the president accuse Springsteen of “not (being) a talented guy,” an ironic allegation given Trump previously featured the rocker’s “Born in the U.S.A.” at multiple rallies without Springsteen’s consent. The post also slammed Springsteen for speaking out against the president while abroad rather than while on US soil.
“This dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that’s just ‘standard fare,’” Trump wrote. “Then we’ll all see how it goes for him!”
Springsteen has supported and campaigned for several Democratic candidates throughout his career. Trump, of course, has a history of criticizing other notable entertainment figures, such as George Clooney, Taylor Swift and Meryl Streep.
CNN’s Andrew Kirell contributed to this report.
