If you’re even mildly curious about why Donald Trump is big mad at lil ol’ Bruce Springsteen lately, just listen to the artist’s newly released EP, Land of Hope & Dreams — a live recording from Manchester, England, earlier this month. You don’t even have to listen to Springsteen’s music if you want to find out about the controversy; just stream “Land of Hope and Dreams (Introduction)” and “My City of Ruins (Introduction)” below.
Of course, streaming the songs can be pretty great, too, especially if you like Bruce Springsteen (which Donald Trump clearly does not.)
In his intro to “Land of Hope and Dreams,” Springsteen lays out his philosophy, telling the Brits that the E Street Band would be summoning the power of rock “in dangerous times.” “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 [sic] is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration,” he says. “Tonight, we ask 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.” Pretty good, right? And after that you get the seven-minute Wrecking Ball song.
And he didn’t stop there. Over a piano line that’s alternately doleful and rousing, Springsteen waxed patriotic in the intro to The Rising’s “My City of Ruins.” “There’s some very weird, strange, and dangerous shit going on out there right now,” he says. “In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now. In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now.
“In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain that they inflict on loyal American workers,” he continues. “They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just and plural society. They’re abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom.” He goes on to outline how the Trump administration has targeted universities and deporting American citizens. He reiterated, “This is all happening now.” He also offered an optimistic note saying that he believed that America would survive this moment. What’s not to like, right?
With Land of Hope & Dreams EP, Springsteen is refusing to back down. Trump threatened a “major investigation” into Springsteen and abused the caps-lock button on his phone to write that Springsteen “ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT.” (Trump has also claimed that the way Kamala Harris’ campaign paid Springsteen’s production company $76,000 during the 2024 election was illegal, but that’s not true.)
Clearly, by releasing a recording on which Springsteen’s message is loud and clear and perfectly enunciated right when the controversy began, he wants his opinion of Trump to be known. He’s also included some pretty great songs, including a Bob Dylan cover, to go with it — and it’s all available to stream now.
Land of Hope & Dreams track list:
1. Land of Hope and Dreams (Introduction)”
2. “Land of Hope and Dreams (Live)”
3. “Long Walk Home (Live)”
4. “My City of Ruins (Introduction)”
5. “My City of Ruins (Live)”
6. “Chimes of Freedom (Live)”
