Bruce Springsteen has hit out at US president Donald Trump and his “disgusting” immigration policies – see what Springsteen had to say below.
Speaking to The New York Times in a new feature, The Boss spoke on a myriad on topics including a slew of unreleased material on the way and current state of politics in the United States. Regarding the state of the US, Springsteen said: “It’s an American tragedy.”
“I think that it was the combination of the deindustrialization of the country and then the incredible increase in wealth disparity that left so many people behind. It was ripe for a demagogue,” The Boss continued, before going on to address Trump’s presidency. “And while I can’t believe it was this moron that came along, he fit the bill for some people. But what we’ve been living through in the last 70 days is things that we all said, ‘This can’t happen here.’ ‘This will never happen in America.’ And here we are.”
Later in the chat, Springsteen talks about the ongoing ICE immigration raids that began in Los Angeles earlier this month with numerous people staging a peaceful protest against the department’s raids of several workplaces and deportations of countless people for alleged immigration violations.
Since then, President Trump has authorised the deployment of the National Guard in response, with the National Guard being allowed to carry out anti-protest operations over the next 60 days in the US. Trump’s ICE raids have since landed its operations in Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States.
Speaking to The New York Times, Springsteen reflected on moving to California to get closer to the thriving migrant culture: “When I went to California, obviously there was a large migrant culture. I was interested in the history of it, because I felt that this is the future of the United States — which it has become.”
Of the current ICE raids, Springsteen said: “There are communities all across America now that have taken in immigrants and migrant workers. So what’s going on at the moment to me is disgusting, and a terrible tragedy.”
Despite all of this, Springsteen still feels a level of hope for the US: “We have a long democratic history. We don’t have an autocratic history as a nation. It’s fundamentally democratic, and I believe that at some point that’s going to rear its head and things will swing back. Let’s knock on wood.”
Springsteen’s comments on Trump and the ICE raids come after the musician made headlines this year after using his show in Manchester to call Donald Trump’s administration “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous” – a move which led to the President describing him as a “dried out ‘prune’” who “ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country.” The Boss would later get backing from Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, Neil Young, Tom Morello and Bono for his on-stage comments.
Yesterday (June 18), the first trailer for his highly anticipated biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere was shared, giving fans a first look at The Bear star Jeremy Allen White as the legendary musician. The film is scheduled for worldwide release on October 24.
Elsewhere in regards to the ICE raids, numerous musicians have spoken out against the arrests and deportations made so far – Olivia Rodrigo wrote on social media: “I’ve lived in LA my whole life, and I’m deeply upset about these violent deportations of my neighbors under the current administration. LA simply wouldn’t exist without immigrants… I stand with the beautiful, diverse community of Los Angeles and with immigrants all across America. I stand for our right to freedom of speech and freedom to protest.”
Finneas claimed he had been tear-gassed by the National Guard at a “peaceful” protest in LA earlier in the month. “Fuck ICE,” he wrote on social media about the incident. Later, he added: “If you are into this fascist shit you are small and weak and will lose.”
Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello has attended a protest against ICE too, calling on people to “defend LA”. Elsewhere, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong expressed his support by telling ICE to “fuck off”.
Shakira said that she lives in “constant fear” as an immigrant in the United States. Khaby Lame, the world’s biggest TikTok star, also reportedly fled the US after being detained by ICE last week.
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