Bruce Springsteen slams Trump in three powerful speeches at EU tour kick-off in Manchester

Bruce Springsteen kicked off his EU tour last night and did not spare his thoughts regarding Donald Trump: “In my country they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. (...) Raise your voices against authoritarianism."

After Robert De Niro’s takedown of Donald Trump at the opening ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, during which he called out “America’s philistine president” who “cut funding and support to the arts, humanities and education”, another American icon has come to Europe to take a stand.Music legend Bruce Springsteen has kicked off the first of three scheduled shows in Manchester, UK, last night (14 May) – the opening night of his European run that will last until July.During the opening gig, Springsteen shared three scathing speeches aimed at Donald Trump and his “incompetence”.To kick off the show, The Boss performed ‘Land of Hope and Dreams’, saying to the audience: “It’s great to be in Manchester and back in the UK. Welcome to the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour! The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n roll in dangerous times.” He continued: “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 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 experiment to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!” Before ‘House of a Thousand Guitars’, Springsteen – who has long been a staunch critic of Trump - launched another righteous rant: “The last check, the last check on power after the checks and balances of government have failed are the people, you and me. It’s in the union of people around a common set of values now that’s all that stands between a democracy and authoritarianism. At the end of the day, all we’ve got is each other.” The Boss’ third – and strongest - political statement of the night came as he introduced ‘City of Ruin’: “There’s some very weird, strange, and dangerous shit going on out there right now. In America they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now.” He continued: “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 they inflict on loyal American workers. They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that has led to a more just and plural society. They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They are defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands. They are removing residents off American streets and without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all happening now.” “A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government,” added Springsteen. “They have no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American. The America l’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people. So, we’ll survive this moment. Now, I have hope, because I believe in the truth of what the great American writer James Baldwin said, he said ‘in this world there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough.’ Let’s pray.” Springsteen publicly endorsed Kamala Harris in November’s presidential election and performed at one of her rallies. He said at the time: “Donald Trump is the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime. His disdain for the sanctity of our Constitution, the sanctity of democracy, the sanctity of the rule of law and the sanctity of the peaceful transfer of power should disqualify him from the office of president ever again. He doesn’t understand the meaning of this country, its history, or what it means to be deeply American.” The 75-year-old music icon also told The Telegraph during the election: “(Trump)’s an insurrectionist. You know, he led a coup on the United States government, so there’s no way he should be let anywhere near the office of the presidency. Not to mention, he’s mentally ill.” Bruce Springsteen is currently on tour with ‘Land of Hope and Dreams’. He continues his Manchester dates on 17 and 20 May, before heading to France (Lille – 24 & 27 May; Marseilles – 31 May), back to the UK (Liverpool – 4 & 7 June), Germany (Berlin – 11 June; Frankfurt – 18 June), followed by dates in Spain and Italy.