Bruce Springsteen vs. Trump: He attacks the US President in Berlin
Berlin. Bruce Springsteen, aka "The Boss," once again sharply criticized US President Donald Trump and the US government at the first German concert of his European tour. The America he loves, the America he has written about, and which has been a beacon of hope and freedom for 250 years, is "in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and deceitful government," the 75-year-old said before the first song in Berlin's Olympic Stadium.
The rock legend repeatedly returned to democracy and freedom. Springsteen, who released the successful album "Born in the USA" 41 years ago, spoke about the USA between songs to cheering fans, sometimes for minutes at a time. He said he had always tried to be a good ambassador for America. "But things are happening right now that are changing the nature of democracy in our country and are too important to ignore," he said.
He dedicated his song “Rainmaker” to Donald Trump with the words: “When conditions in a country are ripe for a demagogue, you can bet one will emerge.”
He also criticized the handling of the demonstrations in Los Angeles, where people have been protesting for days against Trump's tough immigration policy and deportation raids by the immigration agency ICE. "They are deploying the American military on America's streets based on falsehoods about a foreign invasion."
Despite its many mistakes, Springsteen said America is a "great country" with "great people." "We will survive this moment," he told the cheering fans. According to the organizers, there were around 68,000 concertgoers.
The 75-year-old, known to his fans as "The Boss," also repeatedly lashed out at the US President at previous concerts on his European tour. After the singer sharply criticized the US government in Manchester, England, Trump responded with a post on his platform, Truth Social. Among other things, he called Springsteen a "pushy, obnoxious jerk." He also urged the singer to keep his mouth shut until he's back in the country. "Then we'll all see what happens next!" Trump wrote.
It wasn't the first time the US rock star spoke out for freedom on a Berlin stage. In 1988, he played the largest rock concert in the GDR at the cycling track in Berlin-Weißensee, criticizing "barriers" in front of 160,000 people.
The last song this time was "Chimes of Freedom" from the 1980s. He introduced the song with the words "This is for the fans from East Berlin"—in German.
On the European tour "Land of Hope & Dreams," Springsteen and his The E Street Band will make two more stops in Germany: in Frankfurt on June 18 and in Gelsenkirchen on June 27.
RND/dpa
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