Bruce Springsteen Blasts Trump in Minneapolis Opener
Bruce Springsteen opened the U.S. leg of his Land of Hope and Dreams Tour with the E Street Band in Minneapolis on Tuesday, March 31, turning the Target Center show into a pointed political moment as he criticised President Donald Trump and urged fans to stay engaged.
“The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock & roll in dangerous times. We are here in celebration and defense of our American ideals, democracy, our Constitution, and our sacred American promise. 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.”
Springsteen told the crowd, “Our museums are being told to whitewash American history of any unpleasant or inconvenient facts like the full history of the brutality of slavery,” before adding, “We have a president who can’t handle the truth,” and repeating the phrase “This is happening now.”
“You want to talk about snowflakes? We have a president who can’t handle the truth. This is happening now. While working Americans struggle, our president and his family enrich themselves by billions of dollars trading on the people’s office in corruption unmatched in American history. This is happening now. This White House is destroying the American idea and our reputation around the world. To many, we are no longer looked upon as an often imperfect but strong defender of democracy standing for the global good. We are no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave. We are now, to many, America the reckless, unpredictable, predatory rogue nation. That is this administration’s and this president’s legacy. This is happening now.”
Springsteen had signalled in advance that the tour would be “political and very topical,” and he underlined that message in Minneapolis by calling the period “very dark times” and telling the audience to “fight for the America that we love.” The set itself mixed statement-making choices with arena staples, including an opening cover of Edwin Starr’s “War” alongside well-known Springsteen material.
The Minneapolis speech also fits a long pattern of Springsteen using his platform to weigh in on national issues, including moments that have previously sparked debate among fans, such as his defence of controversial comments about ICE in earlier years.
With the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour now underway, Springsteen appears set to keep blending the E Street Band’s stadium-scale show with nightly commentary, positioning the run as both a classic-hits event and a running response to the current political climate.
