Donald Trump has called for a “major investigation” into Bruce Springsteen and other musicians who supported Kamala Harris.
This comes after Springsteen shared several scathing speeches criticising the US President at his show in Manchester last week. He spoke about the “corruption” and “incompetence” of the President and his administration.
Now, the politician is calling for an investigation into Springsteen, who he alleges was paid by Kamala Harris for his “POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT” and asked, “ISN’T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION?”
In addition to Springsteen, Trump also criticised other artists, including Bono and Beyoncé, during his rant on his social media platform Truth Social.
“HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT?,” Trump wrote. “WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS? ISN’T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ? …AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO???
“I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter. Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment. In addition, this was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds. IT’S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic “entertainers,” this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”
None of Trump’s claims were evidenced in his social media posts.
This is the second time Trump has criticised Springsteen after his speeches, as on Friday (May 16), the politician called the musician a “dried out ‘prune’”.
Springsteen started his Manchester show by performing ‘Land of Hope and Dreams’, saying to the audience: “It’s great to be in Manchester and back in the UK. Welcome to the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour! The mighty E St. Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n roll in dangerous times.”
He continued: “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. 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!”
Before ‘House of a Thousand Guitars’, Springsteen preached: “The last check, 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.”
Springsteen has long been a staunch critic of Donald Trump. He publicly endorsed Kamala Harris in November’s presidential election and performed at one of her rallies, and has described Trump as “mentally ill”. In addition, he opened a show just after the election with a “fighting prayer” for the US following Donald Trump‘s victory.
On Saturday, The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) issued a statement defending Springsteen, alongside Taylor Swift who was also attacked by Trump on social media.
“[We] will not remain silent as two of our members—Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift—are singled out and personally attacked by the President of the United States,” reads the statement from AFM President Tino Gagliardi. “Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift are not just brilliant musicians, they are role models and inspirations to millions of people in the United States and across the world.”