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A New Jersey news outlet accused rock legend Bruce Springsteen of hypocritically profiteering off of an expensive anti-Trump concert in his own home state while still portraying himself as a “populist” rocker.
NJ.com published a piece on Tuesday titled, “Springsteen’s N.J. concert was poisoned by hypocrisy. Anti-Trump final act is a tragic mistake.”
Since kicking off the tour in Minneapolis on March 31, Springsteen, 76, has repeatedly unleashed blistering attacks on President Donald Trump during his shows, blasting the administration as “corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless and treasonous” and mocking the 79-year-old as a “president who can’t handle the truth” among other insults. The article noted that the musician opened his New Jersey show with the same brazen preamble.
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Bruce Springsteen has been called out numerous times for having expensive concerts after spending a career building himself up as an all-American populist. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
During his performance in Newark, Springsteen called his audience to join in “choosing hope over fear, democracy over authoritarianism, the rule of law over lawlessness, ethics over unbridled corruption, resistance over complacency, truth over lies, unity over division, and peace over war.”
Springsteen, who remains an all-American icon known for anthems like “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road” and “Born in the U.S.A.,” has not been shy about sharing his political views over the past few decades. The musician campaigned for then-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, then-candidate Joe Biden in 2020, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016 and former President Barack Obama in 2012 and 2008.
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Bruce Springsteen in recent years has been marked by open support for Democrats and condemnations of President Donald Trump. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic ;Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
“One problem: It’s all hypocritical crap,” the article stated. “Profiteering over legitimate protest. Springsteen’s artistic identity, as a bleeding-heart populist who sings for the destitute and downtrodden, has never been more disconnected from his economic behavior as a touring act or businessman.”
“The blue-collar troubadour now charges exorbitant amounts for his tickets — up to $2,900 retail for the best seats in Newark Monday; prices he agreed to despite fan backlash. He’s selling ‘No Kings’ branded flags for $90 in the arena concourse,” the article continued.
Springsteen’s home state news outlet argued that the 2026 experience of the musician is unrecognizable and the tour’s “political framing” exploits the division in America, suggesting the contradiction threatens to taint his career.
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Bruce Springsteen performs during the Defend Minnesota! benefit concert at First Avenue in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 30, 2026. The concert was organized by Tom Morello and denounced ICE and the federal Operation Metro Surge immigration operation. All profits are donated to the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were killed by federal agents during the operation. (Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)
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The article rebuffed critics, citing other musicians’ expensive tickets by arguing that other musician superstars did not build their brand “exalting themselves as the cavalry coming to rescue democracy from the clutches of fat-cat bureaucrats as they march to the bank. None of them has spent their career on stage as an agent of moral witness, who doesn’t perform as much as he preaches to his disciples in the name of all that is good and just.”
The columnist also stated that while the music itself was great, “to frame it all now as some act of protest, set at a price few can afford, is not the tradition or high ground it pretends to be. It’s a hollow monetization of a fraught time in American history and a significant blemish on a storied career.”
Digital reached out to Springsteen’s representatives and did not receive an immediate reply.
