Bruce Springsteen unleashed a foul-mouthed rant against Donald Trump, calling his administration ‘incompetent, racist and reckless’ as he kicked off his tour in Minneapolis.
The singer, 76, has appeared frequently in the city to protest the Trump and his White House staffers following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, including writing a song called ‘Streets of Minneapolis’ inspired by their killings.
Springsteen, long an outspoken liberal, sounded off on Trump and what he called ‘dangerous times’ as he took the stage at Target Center to launch his Land of Hope and Dreams Tour.
‘The America that I love, the America that I’ve written about for 50 years that’s been a beacon of hope and liberty around the world is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless and treasonous administration,’
he said to cheers.
‘The Boss’ then asked his audience to join him and the E Street Band in condemning the Trump administration. He told the crowd,
‘Choosing hope over fear, democracy over authoritarianism, the rule of law over lawlessness, ethics over unbridled corruption, resistance over complacency, unity over division and peace over…’
Springsteen and the band finished the spiel by performing a cover of Edwin Starr’s ‘War,’ which the New Jersey native has been using to protest Republicans going as far back as Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. The band included Tom Morello, the guitar player for left-wing 1990s rockers Rage Against the Machine who has played occasionally with the E Street Band since 2008.
Bruce Springsteen went on a rant against Donald Trump, calling his administration ‘incompetent, racist and reckless’ as he kicked off his tour in Minneapolis Trump and his administration have been protested by Springsteen, who wrote ‘Streets of Minneapolis’ following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti Springsteen then immediately jumped in to one of his biggest hits, ‘Born in the USA,’ a song consistently misinterpreted by politicians of all stripes.
It came just days after Springsteen led the lineup at the Minneapolis-St. Paul branch of the No Kings rallies taking place in cities across America on Saturday. The events were set up to express left-wing opposition to various Trump administration policies, including the ICE raids and the Iran War.
Minneapolis was a nexus of anti-ICE demonstrations at the start of this year, with outrage against the government intensifying after two protestors – Alex Pretti and Renee Good – were killed in encounters with federal law enforcement. Springsteen, a longtime Democrat who opened Joe Biden’s inauguration special and has been a vociferous critic of Donald Trump, released a song on January called Streets of Minneapolis as a reaction to the bloodshed.
He performed the song this Saturday during the rally held the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, which is one of the ‘Twin Cities’ along with neighboring Minneapolis.
‘Well, this past winter, federal troops brought death and terror to the streets of Minneapolis.
Thanks STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER of the Daily Mail
250 years later …
I noticed some interesting group representation in the “No Kings” marchers here in the States. Groups flew Cuban, Palestinian, and other flags, including the Stars and Stripes, upside down (a universal sign of distress).
One I noticed was the red flag with sickle and hammer where the group members chanted: ‘There is only one solution, Communist Revolution’
Saw frogs, lice, and lots of unique individuals, but very few members of what you might call mainstream America.
Instead, it appeared to be a progressive soup of government and private sector unions, identity and fringe/one issue groups – primarily comprised of folks who didn’t vote for President Trump in any of the three elections where he ran over the past 10 years … members of the so-called Resistance.
“No Kings” financial and organizational support came from George Soros’s Open Society Foundations, Americans for Public Trust, Indivisible, Arabella Network, Tides Foundation, Visibility Brigade, Third Act.
Groups included:
• Activate America
• Alliance for Justice
• Arizona Native Vote
• American Atheists
• AFGE
• Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance
• AFSCME
• APWU
• Arab American Institute
• Amnesty International, Arts Workers United
• APALA
• 73 for Palestine
• 198 Methods
• Act.TV
• Actionaid
• ACLU
Again, not what you might call mainstream Americans.
One specific theme that seemed present at every march, as you noted above, were the concerns and criticisms expressed regarding the current Administration’s border policies, immigration enforcement, etc.
However, while I watched the protests on the news, I never saw anyone in the crowds with signs of remembrance and support for those who have been murdered or killed by illegal aliens – such as this small sample of Americans recently murdered/killed by illegal aliens:
Lizbeth Medina
Anya Varfolomeev
Nikolay Osokin
Dacara Thompson
Nate Baker
Laken Riley
Fletcher Harris
Skylar Provenza
Ivory Smith
Alex Wise Jr
Katie Abraham
Jocelyn Nungaray
Jennifer Ann Morton
Rachel Morin
Sheridan Gorman
Herby Dufresne
Rodrigue Dor
Faniloa Joseph
Kayla Hamilton
Larisha Thompson
Jamiel Shaw
The protesters generally seemed to be having fun mocking President Trump and criticizing America.
Recently, and for comparison, one authoritarian state, Iran, recently killed 20,000 – 30,000 protestors. Everyone is so worried about Trump as a wannabe American king. So, how many peaceful protestors, Americans or illegal aliens alike, were killed or even arrested last week? None that I know of.
Comparatively, in England, how many protesters have been arrested under Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 “breach of the peace” for behavior deemed “harassment, alarm or distress” – such as “no kings” protests during Coronations? And, in 2025 and 2026, haven nearly 3,000 people been arrested for supporting Palestinians – including elderly protestors at demonstrations in London’s Parliament Square?
The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
In terms of elderly protestors. Consider this article by Matthew Hennessey, Editor, Free Expression, The Wall Street Journal titled:
Get a Grip on Your Grandparents
Two nice ladies gave me the bird last week.
They weren’t angry. I hadn’t taken their parking spot or anything like that. I’m pretty sure they didn’t even know I was there. They were flipping off the building where I work.
That building is a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan. It’s sometimes known as the News Corp Building. News Corp is the parent company of Dow Jones, which publishes The Wall Street Journal. The Journal’s opinion section publishes the newsletter you’re reading.
Here’s the important bit: News Corp is also the parent of Fox News, which broadcasts from studios a few floors below Free Expression headquarters. I’m pretty sure the two nice ladies intended to convey their message to the people running that fine media establishment. But since none of them happened to be looking out the window at the precise moment these ladies walked by, their single-figure salute was delivered to me instead. I was digital collateral damage.
I imagine the two nice ladies as retired teachers in New York to see the sights. They both had gray hair, cut short. They were wearing jeans and sneakers. One had a fanny pack. Two men I took to be their husbands trailed a few steps behind. The quartet was headed north, probably to the tourist attractions of Central Park or Rockefeller Center.
For days now I’ve been pondering their state of mind. I try to put myself in their comfortable shoes. How crazy about politics would I have to be to do what they did—on a moment’s notice, with no provocation, no concern for how I looked, no worries about flipping off a completely innocent man?
Come around the corner, see the building, and—boom—middle finger up. Take that, Jesse Watters.
I have certainly gotten angry about things I’ve seen on TV. I would prefer never to get to a place where I’m throwing indiscriminate birds.
Obviously people of all ages are allowed to have strong feelings about politics. We have some ourselves here at Free Expression! But there’s something tacky and undignified in retirees surrendering to hysteria. Maybe some people would be proud of their grandparents for flipping off Fox News in broad daylight on a public street. I would be embarrassed. Not for myself. For them.
A small group of mostly elderly people gather in the plaza in front of the News Corp building every Tuesday afternoon. They honk horns, stomp their feet and chant slogans against Donald Trump and Fox News. Sometimes they chalk the sidewalk. It’s all very middle-class and predictable. Protest by appointment. I imagine them walking home with huge smiles on their faces. Everybody did great today!
How come retired conservative grandparents don’t gather outside CNN headquarters in Atlanta, banging pots and pans, chanting slogans about Kaitlan Collins and demanding changes to the editorial slant of the news coverage?
Don’t answer. Rhetorical question.
This week, AARP magazine cover-story subjects Jane Fonda, Robert De Niro and Bruce Springsteen all lumbered back into the spotlight to talk tough about Mr. Trump. The two nice ladies and their friends in the Tuesday afternoon grumble club surely appreciate the celebrity support, but this performative geriatric outrage is getting ridiculous.
Senior citizens, get it together. Start acting your age.