Kid Rock Reacts To Bruce Springsteen’s Anti-Trump Rant, “What A Punk Move”
on May 19, 2025
Table of Contents
- Legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen kicked off his new tour in England last week with an anti-Trump tirade that had Kid Rock firing back.
- Kid Rock reacted to Springsteen’s comments.
- Bruce Springsteen’s overseas outburst is reminiscent of the Dixie Chicks’ statements made in London 22 years ago.
- Donald Trump issued a statement in response to Springsteen’s criticism.
Legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen kicked off his new tour in England last week with an anti-Trump tirade that had Kid Rock firing back.
While on stage during the first stop of his “Land of Hopes and Dreams” tour in Manchester, England, on Wednesday, Bruce Springsteen, 75, told the crowd that America is currently “in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treacherous government.”
He said, “In my home, the America I love, the American 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 treacherous government,” he said. “They are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. They’re abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators.”
Footage of Springsteen’s rant went viral on social media and caught the attention of Kid Rock.
Kid Rock reacted to Springsteen’s comments.
During an appearance on Fox & Friends on Friday (May 16), Kid Rock, an outspoken conservative and supporter of Donald Trump, called Springsteen’s outburst “a punk move.”
“Just another person with TDS at the highest levels,” Kid Rock told the outlet. “To be in Europe talking junk about our president who gets up and works for this country, every day, and his administration is doing such great things… Thank God for him. But to do that in Europe… what a punk move.”
TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) is a term for negative and irrational reactions to President Donald Trump.
“[Springsteen’s] got, what, 500 million, a billion dollars and is out there playing like he’s a working-class hero,” he added. “And really, to me, just wants to be in good standing with the Hollywood elite. I’m proud to say that I’m more of Hollywood’s kryptonite.”
See Bruce Springsteen address the concert crowd and watch Kid Rock’s response at the video below.
Bruce Springsteen’s overseas outburst is reminiscent of the Dixie Chicks’ statements made in London 22 years ago.
In 2003, the Dixie Chicks, now The Chicks, were on stage in London when they publicly criticized then-President George W. Bush. The trio’s lead singer, Natalie Maines, told the crowd that they were ashamed that the President of the United States was from their home state of Texas.
“Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas,” Maines said.
The Chicks were one of the hottest country acts of the time and remain one of the best-selling groups in country music history. But their outburst against President Bush derailed their career temporarily after they were blacklisted by numerous country radio stations and boycotted by fans.
RELATED: THE CHICKS SAY THEY NEVER WANTED TO BE IN COUNTRY MUSIC
After the backlash, Bruce Springsteen issued a statement of support for The Chicks. He described them as “terrific American artists expressing American values by using their American right to free speech. For them to be banished wholesale from radio stations, and even entire radio networks, for speaking out is un-American.”
Though Bruce Springsteen’s recent anti-Trump sentiments were eerily similar to those of The Chicks, he likely won’t face retaliation like the trio did.
Donald Trump issued a statement in response to Springsteen’s criticism.
President Trump took to Truth Social to post a scathing response of his own, calling Springsteen a “dried out prune of a rocker.”
“I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States. Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics, and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK,” Trump’s statement reads.
“This dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that’s just ‘standard fare.’ Then we’ll all see how it goes for him!”
