I make a pilgrimage down the Jersey Shore to Asbury Park every August, and last week’s heatwave sure had me wishing I was there already! No better time for a dip in the (freezing) Atlantic Ocean than during the ass crack heat of summer. Whatever the weather may be, it’ll still be a great time because it’s a great town. The one thing I won’t be doing, though, is visiting the local library for their fan-curated Bruce Springsteen memorabilia section — because the collection outgrew the space! We’re gonna need a bigger museum, and that’s exactly what we got. The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music opened to the public last month at its Monmouth University campus in West Long Branch, New Jersey. PBS recently aired a special to mark the Center’s opening, and in treading on the themes of American music, our nation turning 250, and Bruce’s track record of calling out Trump for the 25th Amendment poster boy that he is, interviewer Geoff Bennett asked Bruce for his take on patriotism. Naturally, Bruce gave a candid answer:
During his recent PBS special, Bruce Springsteen: Finding America in Song, the heartland rocker defended his outspoken stance on the US President. “I believe in critical patriots,” he explained.
“I believe that’s the definition of a patriot, you know, that you love your country so much that you are willing to look at it clearly, recognise its faults, encourage it to be a better place, and believe that you carry in your heart the country that is waiting.”
He penned the politically-charged song ‘Streets of Minneapolis’ following ICE agents killing two civilians in Minnesota, and reflecting on writing the song he said he was “very angry” when it came to him back in January. “And usually, I write songs that have a lot of political implications but very often are not directly political.
“So, in this case, I wrote a protest song. I thought, ‘Gee, maybe this is a little broad?’ You know?” he said. “But then I had my buddy, Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, and he says, ‘No, no, no.’ [He] says, ‘Bruce, nuance is great, but sometimes you’ve gotta kick ‘em in the teeth.’”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Springsteen called Trump’s administration as a “ship of fools”, but shared some optimism about America’s future.
“I think we’re going through a very, very difficult period, but I tend to remain realistically optimistic,” he said. “That the country will pull out of it and something new will be born from it that is good.”
Trump has hit back at Springsteen’s critiques too, branding The Boss a “pushy, obnoxious JERK”, as well as “dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker”, and the White House slammed Springsteen’s tour before it had even started — writing that the singer has a “severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his brain”.
Last month, at the Tribeca Film Festival, Springsteen acknowledged how some of his fans have been alienated by his outspoken comments against Trump, and said that he hopes to find some “common ground” with them going forward.
After being presented with the 2026 Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award by Bono, the U2 singer asked if The Boss ever feels “torn” over the fact that some previous fans will no longer see him play live due to the political stance.
Responding, Springsteen said: “You have to do two things. You make your stand, and you follow your beliefs.”
“You have to have the faith in them [beliefs] that they will be explicable and understandable by your fellow citizens, and you have to believe that America is an argument, and it’s a compromise constantly, and then finding some sort of common ground is a possibility,” he continued.
This is why he’s The Boss, folks! I always liked the succinct phrase, “Dissent Is Patriotic,” but Bruce offers some lines here that are pure poetry, no surprise. Like the way he says, “And believe that you carry in your heart the country that is waiting.” Gorgeous. If you have 26 minutes, the PBS special is a real treat. His longtime manager Jon Landau has a lovely moment where he describes Bruce as a “synthesizer,” meaning he takes everything in, and what comes out in his songs is his uniquely personal way of processing all that lived data and experience. Dropkick Murphys’ Ken Casey also has a great comment where he questions/side-eyes whether there’s enough protest music being made in response to the “ship of fools” capsizing our country. Critical patriotism in action!
Bruce also makes it quite clear that though it’s named The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music — complete with a floor dedicated solely to Bruce — the emphasis longterm is on the larger story of American music. In fact you get the sense that he’d really rather have his section downsized to a single shelf, as he keeps repeating, “I’m one chapter.” I can’t think of a more perfect personification of the difference between The Boss and the current president.
Photos credit: Robert Bell/INSTARimages and Getty Images
My gawd he’s a beautiful human. Thank you for those words, Bruce! He was such a part of my childhood. Even before the sexual awakening spurred by the Dancing in the Dark video (y’all GenXers know what I’m saying), there was something about “Hey little girl is your daddy home,” crooning from my mom’s car radio running errands that I drew me to that voice. Okay that’s an aside from his politics but even then his music was very political aligned with my family’s values which is probably why I was allowed to listen to his racier songs too. 😉
omg same, @mightymolly. my dad was a big fan, so i heard him all the time growing up. and he echoes mark twain here-didn’t he say something along the lines of being a patriot means loving your country all the time and your government only when they deserve or earn it? something like that.
This is beautiful and so well put! We need a lot more critical patriots right now.
He’s an American treasure and I’m so glad he has a microphone and is not afraid to use it.
I so agree.