The biggest thing this editor learned from Eric Alterman's piece in the New York Times this weekend is that President Donald Trump is only three years older than Bruce Springsteen. He pictured Springsteen at least a decade younger, but Springsteen is 75 and Trump is 78. One is serving his second term as president of the United States; the other is on tour in Europe pulling a Dixie Chicks (who now just go by "The Chicks" so no one confuses them for Confederates), trashing the president on stage.
Resistance 2.0 has somehow become even more cringe than the original Resistance. Just brutal optics. Boomers really having a tough time. pic.twitter.com/hV1oOOawQH
— Lomez (@L0m3z) May 25, 2025
First, that's a terrible illustration — no wonder there's no credit with it. Alterman, by the way, is the author of “It Ain’t No Sin to Be Glad You’re Alive: The Promise of Bruce Springsteen,” so he's quite the fanboy.
Alterman writes:
Introducing “Land of Hope and Dreams” as the first song on the tour’s opening night in Manchester, England, Mr. Springsteen told the crowd that the United States was “currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration” that has “no concern or idea of what it means to be deeply American.”
…
Mr. Trump heard this as a challenge. The president threatened an “investigation” into Mr. Springsteen’s support for Kamala Harris and blustered on Truth Social that this “Highly Overrated … not a talented guy” was “Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK.” Later he put out a fake video in which he hits Mr. Springsteen with a golf ball.
Perhaps Mr. Trump worried that a simple, uncompromised patriotic message on offer from a man who is arguably the nation’s most beloved male rock star would break through to his fans.
"The nation's most beloved male rock star."
“Who’s Bryce Springsteen, grandma?”
— That’d be great (@theautomatedtom) May 26, 2025
I honestly thought he was a decade or two younger. Like contemporary with U2, not Bob Dylan.
— art pleb (@art_pleb) May 25, 2025
That's because we still remember him from his non-stop music videos on MTV back in the '80s.
Brutal optics indeed pic.twitter.com/aUkAjvlYK4
— Willet Templeton (@wrycountenance) May 25, 2025
Send Springsteen to El Salvador, before Bon Jovi starts getting ideas
— Tenderloin Republican 🇺🇸 (@PayNoTack) May 26, 2025
Visceral second hand embarrassment.
— SRS (@winesmithing) May 26, 2025
I'm just patting myself on the back having realized this dude was a poser and hack musician decades ago.
— Trunk Monkey (@C4ndide) May 26, 2025
Will never surrender? What the hell does that even mean? He really thinks he’s a hell of a lot more important than he is.
— Amy2112 (@Amy21123) May 26, 2025
Bruce hasn't looked like that since Dancing in the Dark got filmed.
— UncappedTurtle (Shellebrity) (@uncappedturtle) May 26, 2025
Now he looked like that retired aunt of yours that always had a roommate and never got married.
As we said, it's a stunningly bad illustration.
Bruce is looking rough IRL, but this art might be worse
— Mars⚔︎Minerva (@_artistsrifles) May 25, 2025
They colored his hair brown to make 75 year old Springsteen look young lmao pic.twitter.com/DZTCnoM3LI
— gogitoya (@gogitoya) May 26, 2025
He surrendered when he said he would move to Australia if Trump won. Pussy.
— Steve Walker (@SteveWalke58591) May 25, 2025
Alterman is really triggered by that golf ball video, so here it is again for your enjoyment:
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 21, 2025
Alterman concludes his piece:
Mr. Trump’s deepfake golf ball assault did not deter Mr. Springsteen. On subsequent nights, Mr. Springsteen changed his set list: The show opened with “No Surrender.” He not only repeated the same speeches but also released a live recording from that night of the tour, where he could be heard saying: “Tonight we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!”
Cringe.
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