"Incompetent": Bruce Springsteen takes a shot at Donald Trump and Elon Musk during concert

Bruce Springsteen, who is currently on The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour, took a shot at U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, during a concert on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Manchester, England.

The 75-year-old rock star is accompanied by the E Street Band on the tour, and on Wednesday, the opening night of the tour, According to The Independent, Springsteen fumed on stage and called Trump and his administration:

''corrupt, incompetent and treasonous.''

Springsteen, widely known for his album The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle among other global hits, had been consistently opposing the Trump administration over the years.

What did Bruce Springsteen say about Trump during his concert

Yesterday, May 14, marked the opening night for Bruce Springsteen's The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour. He performed at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England, and during the performance, the legendary musician called out Trump and his administration.

This is what Bruce said on the stage when he introduced the song Land of Hope and Dreams:

''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.''

He continued:

''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!''

Springsteen also felt that people should raise a voice. He said:

''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.”

He added:

''There’s some very weird, strange, and dangerous sh*t going on out there right now. In America they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent … the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now.''

He continued:

“They have no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American. The America l'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.”

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Springsteen also also critical in his statement about Elon Musk, who is the senior advisor to President Donald Trump, and also the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The singer also spoke against drastic government spending cuts that were introduced earlier this year.

This was, however, not the first time Bruce Springsteen has called out Trump. Previously, during Trump's first presidential campaign in 2016, he had called him a "moron," and had also accused him of introducing dangerous ideas. He had endorsed Kamala Harris before last year's elections.

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