Bruce Springsteen Called Trump 'Treasonous' and the MAGA Boycott Is Already Backfiring

Bruce Springsteen opened his 2026 US tour by calling Trump treasonous and leading ICE chants. Trump fired back demanding a MAGA boycott. Here is why it is blowing up in everyone's face.

Bruce Springsteen's 'Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour' opened at Target Center in Minneapolis on March 31, 2026, and in three hours and 27 songs the 76-year-old rock legend delivered what Rolling Stone called 'perhaps the most militantly political show from a major touring artist in years.' He opened in total darkness, walked onto the stage last, and spoke before a single note was played. 'I want to begin the night with a prayer for our men and women overseas,' he told the capacity crowd. 'We pray for their safe return. The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock and roll in dangerous times. We are here in celebration and defense of our American ideals, democracy, our Constitution, and our sacred American promise.'

He interspersed four pointed political speeches throughout the set, leading chants of 'ICE Out Now,' calling Trump's administration out by name — Pam Bondi got a specific mention — and at one point describing the president's behavior toward democratic institutions as 'treasonous.' The word ignited social media within minutes.

Trump responded Thursday on his Truth Social platform, calling Springsteen 'a total loser' and urging supporters to 'BOYCOTT HIS OVERPRICED CONCERTS, WHICH SUCK.' This presidential concert boycott call triggered its own backlash: the American Federation of Musicians — specifically the leaders of AFM Locals 802 and 47 — issued a formal statement saying they 'could not remain silent as one of our most celebrated members is singled out and personally attacked by the President of the United States.' Ticket resale prices spiked after the boycott announcement, as they typically do when Trump attacks cultural figures.

For the Springsteen-Trump dynamic's specific history: the two New Jersey figures have been in low-level public conflict since 2012. Springsteen performed at Obama rallies, Romney's campaign used 'Born in the USA' without permission, and the cultural collision between working-class rock mythology and MAGA's claim to that same mythology has been the specific fault line their public feud runs along.

For the tour's remaining dates: the 'Land of Hope and Dreams' tour has a Washington D.C. finale scheduled — a decision that Springsteen made deliberately, and that the political content of the Minneapolis opener confirms is not incidental. Whether the D.C. show includes any specific address to the political moment and whether Trump responds further will be the specific story that develops as the tour continues.