Bruce Springsteen explains speech aimed at Donald Trump during tour to Jimmy Kimmel
Bruce Springsteen has explained his rallying cry for America while on tour in Europe, aimed at the Donald Trump administration, during a new conversation with Jimmy Kimmel.
Springsteen found himself labelled as “not a talented guy” by Trump after footage from his concerts circulated on social media, which is similar language that he used towards Kimmel when he was recently briefly suspended by ABC.
Ahead of the release of Deliver Me From Nowhere on October 24th, Springsteen and the star of the movie, Jeremy Allen White, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live at a special recording at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
At the end of the broad-ranging discussion about the upcoming biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, his reflections on making Nebraska, and much more, Kimmel said to Springsteen, “Bruce, you have spoken very beautifully I think about the state of this country, and the world. I was wondering, before we wrap up here, if you had any positive to share with us to inspire us, because not many people do.”
In response, Springsteen highlighted a part of his live show, which he toured across the United Kingdom and Europe this summer, that celebrated the America he believed in while fighting back against the current Trump administration.
For context, at each concert, Springsteen said before playing ‘Land of Hopes and Dreams’, “In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, and has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration.”
Springsteen also called for action from his audience, asking for “all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism, and let freedom ring.”
Now, he said of this powerful speech to Kimmel, “50 years, I’ve kind of been a musical ambassador for America around the world. I have a song, ‘Land of Hope and Dreams,’ which is kind of a prayer to the country, and I’ve played it every night, we played it every night, for millions of people, and I know for a fact that that’s how many people still see our country.”
Springsteen elaborated, “Not as the land of fear, not the land of divisiveness, not of government censorship, not of hatred. I basically believe that’s the America worth fighting for.”
Last week, in an interview with Time, Springsteen said he “absolutely couldn’t care less” about Trump’s opinion of him, before adding, “He’s the living personification of what the 25th Amendment and impeachment were for. If Congress had any guts, he’d be consigned to the trash heap of history.”
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