I don’t typically look to entertainers, or famous people generally, for inspiration in life. But I’m making an exception for Bruce Springsteen in his recent verbal war with Donald Trump.
“The America I love, the America I’ve written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years,” Springsteen said, “is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.”
Trump fired back, of course, calling Springsteen “not a talented guy—just a pushy, obnoxious jerk.”
I disagree that Springsteen isn’t talented. The rest of Trump’s criticism seems unlikely too, although of course I don’t know Bruce personally.
As for Springsteen’s statement about America and Trump, that’s totally accurate from my observations. America, for all its faults at times, has been a beacon of hope and liberty to the world.
Undoubtedly Trump is corrupt. Watching him sell access to the presidency to rich foreigners and to U.S. billionaires makes one want to throw up. Watching him accept an old, worn-out airplane as a “free gift” from a foreign government— in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, and incidentally a plane that Quatar had been trying to get rid of for years—makes me hang my head in shame over such naivete in a U. S. President. The idea that any foreign government would give the U.S. President something worth $400 billion without wanting something valuable in return is a suggestion that any sharp 12-year-old would reject out of hand.
Besides, there’s the time and expense necessary to retrofit the old plane to bring it to Air Force One requirements. It has been estimated that it would take years—perhaps beyond the end of Trump’s term in 2029—and as much as a billion dollars to add all the security, communications, and other capabilities needed in a plane used by the U.S. President (Dan deLuce, et al, “Turning Qatari 747 into Air Force One could cost $1 billion and take years, experts say,” NBC News, May 14, 2025).
Too many examples of Trump’s corruption exist to list them all here. Many are done out in the open, of course, so he assumes people will think they’re legal and aboveboard. They’re clearly not.
Second, he’s obviously incompetent. Again,weseemany instances of that fact. One glaring example is his appointment of incompetent people to his cabinet, many because he likes the way they look on television, such as Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense and Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence (Alex Shepherd, “Trump’s Proudly Incompetent Cabinet,” The New Republic, March 25, 2025).
Third, treasonous? Treason means betraying one’s country. And yes, he does that often, as he works against America’s interests. He fails to support Ukraine, a democratic ally of ours that was invaded by Russia. He alienates our longtime close friends in Canada, by threatening to claim their country as our 51st state. And his ill-considered tariff war threatens not only the economies of other nations but our own economy too.
It’s easy to be quiet these days. Just moving on with everyday duties and activities is what we’re inclined to do. Just ignoring Trump’s dismantling of our Federal government, his disregard of both citizens’ and non-citizens’ rights, and his callous destruction of our reputation in the world as a beacon of democracy—that path is appealing because it takes no real effort.
But that’s not the path that real patriots follow now. This U.S. President—who has sworn multiple times to “preserve and protect the Constitution,” but who said in a recent interview, when asked if he had an obligation to uphold the Constitution, said “I don’t know.” So obviously those solemn oaths he took when sworn in as President had no real meaning for him. And his disciples seem to follow wherever his wrongheaded “leadership” directs them, as he does everything that the Courts allow him to get away with to destroy this democracy.
At such a time, the proper path for all people who care about this country, and about preserving its proud history of standing up for freedom and the rule of law, is to resist.
That’s not easy. Speaking up to oppose this lawless administration may take us out of our “comfort zone.” It may demand that we go against our natural inclination to support our government’s actions.
But it can be done, even for those of us who are shy and prefer to remain in the background.
One can go to protest rallies, hold up a sign, for example. Being part of a crowd can help us feel more courageous. Or, if protesting in person seems too “out there,” we can write letters or emails to our representatives and other public figures to express our point of view. We can write Letters to the Editor to be printed in our local newspaper.
We can make phone calls to the White House and to the offices of our elected representatives. Phone numbers are posted on websites for each. You’ll speak to an operator or an aide, and your comment will be logged and counted along with comments by all other callers. Again, it helps if many others take the same actions. Then they don’t seem so scary, For any of us.
But even if you’re a lone voice speaking out, it’s well worth doing. Because it’s the right thing to do.
Bruce Springsteen may not be risking a lot by speaking out against Trump as he has. His fans will see his denunciation of the current President as “unfit” for what it certainly is: a continuation of the social and political commentary the performer has expressed in his songs throughout the decades.
But we need his voice now, as we need the voices of all Americans who want to preserve what this country rightly stands for.
Twenty years from now, if someone should ask “What did you do in 2025, when our democracy was under threat from Trump?” what will you say?
Let’s all be able to have a real answer to that question, not have to hang our heads and say, “I watched this precious democracy die, and did nothing.”