Donald Trump has revealed plans to 'call for a major investigation' into Bruce Springsteen's 'poor performance' during Kamala Harris' campaign for president.
The rock and roll legend may've been 'Born in the USA', but whether he thinks of it as his 'Hometown' anymore?
Well, with the country now in the hands of Donald Trump once more, Springsteen believes the nation is living in 'dangerous times' - and the 75-year-old certainly wasn't afraid of saying so when he performed in Manchester, UK, last week.
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The singer accused Trump's administration of being 'corrupt, incompetent and treasonous' - really On Fire when he called the audience to raise their voices 'against the authoritarianism'.
Unsurprisingly, Trump didn't take too kindly to Springsteen's comments and has since come for not only the musician, but now former political competitor Kamala Harris too.
Springsteen's performance at a Kamala Harris rally
Now, you may question, what do Harris and Springsteen have to do with one another? Well, in October 2024, Springsteen performed at one of Harris' rallies - taking to the stage at the James Hallford Stadium in Clarkson, Georgia to play three songs.
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Alongside serenading the 20,000-person crowd with renditions of 'The Promised Land,' 'Land of Hope and Dreams' and 'Dancing in the Dark', Springsteen stated his desire to have a president 'who reveres the Constitution' and who 'doesn't threaten but wants to protect and guide our great democracy' - ultimately slamming Trump as a 'tyrant'.
Drawing on this performance, Trump took to Truth Social earlier today (May 19) to question: "HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT? WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS?"
Trump questioned whether this wasn't 'a major and illegal campaign contribution,' also querying Beyoncé's performance, alongside Oprah and Bono's appearances too- ultimately calling for 'a major investigation' into it all.
But what's the issue - if there is one?
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Does Trump's 'call for a major investigation' have grounds?
Trump argues: "Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment. In addition, this was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds. IT’S NOT LEGAL!
"For these unpatriotic 'entertainers,' this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!
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However, a report by News 19 WLTX from 2023 states it 'is legal for federal candidates to pay for endorsements'.
Citing sources as the Federal Election Commission and Federal Election Campaign Act, it resolves there 'is no law banning candidates from paying for endorsements'.
FEC spokesperson Myles Martin doubled down: "No provisions in the FEC rules specificially address paid endorsements of federal candidates."
Saying that, candidates are legally required to disclose such payments - filing regular reports on where their money comes from and where it goes, including the 'name and address of the person to whom an expenditure excess of $200 is made together with the date, amount and purpose of such expenditure'.
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UNILAD has contacted representatives of Harris for comment.
Trump's dragging of Harris' follows him similarly hitting out at Springsteen after the singer's recent performance in the UK.
Springsteen's recent performance and slamming of 'corrupt, incompetent and treasonous' Trump administration
While introducing his song ‘Land of Hope and Dreams’, Springsteen said: “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.
“In my home, the America I love, the America I have written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.
“Tonight we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices against the authoritarianism.”
And Trump wasted no time addressing the 'Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen's' words.
Trump's response to 'highly overrated Bruce Springsteen'
In a post shared on May 16, the POTUS wrote: "I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States. Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden, a mentally incompetent FOOL, and our WORST EVER President, who came close to destroying our Country.
"If I wasn’t elected, it would have been GONE by now! Sleepy Joe didn’t have a clue as to what he was doing, but Springsteen is 'dumb as a rock,' and couldn’t see what was going on, or could he (which is even worse!)?
"This dried out 'prune' of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that’s just 'standard fare.' Then we’ll all see how it goes for him!"
Topics: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Politics, US News, Music
Poppy Bilderbeck