Just hours after a White House comms director Steven Cheung referred to Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bruce Springsteen as a “loser” in a pun-filled statement denigrating the rock legend’s announcement of an upcoming U.S. arena tour, Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin had his own spicy retort.
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“America has no kings, but we’ve got one Boss and his name is Bruce Springsteen,” wrote Raskin, a consistent burr in Trump’s heel, on X on Wednesday (Feb. 18). “Unlike our faux-King, the Boss fights for freedom and democracy for everyone. I cannot wait to hear him sing ‘Streets of Minneapolis’ loud enough to rattle the walls of what’s left of the White House.”
The latter was a pointed reference both to Trump’s dismantling of the historic East Wing of the White House in October to make way for the president’s long-dreamed-of gilded ballroom, as well as the ire provoked by Springsteen’s powerful anthem memorializing the killing of American citizen and mother of three Renée Macklin Good, 37, by ICE agent Jonathan Ross last month.
Raskin then took another swipe at Trump by doubling-down on conservative group Turning Point USA’s attempt to counter Bad Bunny’s historic halftime show with a pre-taped Kid Rock livestream by making a salacious suggestion. “Maybe the President will counter-program when Springsteen comes to town by singing a love song to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Trump-Kennedy Center, another American institution Trump is bulldozing,” he wrote, in reference to the late convicted child sex offender and trafficker (and his imprisoned accomplice), who was close friends with Trump for many years.
Trump, who reportedly appears more than 1,000 times in the over three million pages released so far in the Epstein files, has not been charged with any impropriety and has denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
The Congressman, who said he’s seen Springsteen 13 times, including catching the Boss’ 2017-2018 Broadway run, wrote that he can “feel it in my bones — Bruce and the band are going to bring a Rock-and-Roll Resurrection to America and a Rock-and-Roll Exorcism to Washington, D.C. This may be the hottest ticket on the planet. I will be very much out in the street when they come to town.”
Springsteen and the E Street Band announced the dates for a 20-show Land of Hope and Dreams American tour earlier this week, which is slated to kick off at the Target Center in Minneapolis on March 31 and wrap up with a stadium show on May 27 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
“We are living through dark, disturbing and dangerous times, but do not despair — the cavalry is coming!” Springsteen said in a statement announcing the gigs. “We will be rocking your town in celebration and in defense of America — American democracy, American freedom, our American Constitution and our sacred American dream — all of which are under attack by our wannabe king and his rogue government in Washington, D.C. Everyone, regardless of where you stand or what you believe in, is welcome — so come on out and join the United Free Republic of E Street Nation for an American spring of Rock n’ Rebellion! I’ll see you there!”
A frequent Trump critic, Springsteen has repeatedly attacked the president’s policies, most recently on his anti-ICE anthem “Streets of Minneapolis,” which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart dated Feb. 7 after only two days of the tracking period.
