"Most dangerous candidate in my lifetime": Springsteen slams Trump, backs Harris

Springsteen posted the endorsement on Thursday, saying Trump "doesn't understand" America

By Griffin Eckstein

News Fellow

Published October 4, 2024 8:19PM (EDT)

Bruce Springsteen performs with The E Street Band at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on July 25, 2023 in Monza, Italy. (Sergione Infuso/Corbis via Getty Images)
Bruce Springsteen performs with The E Street Band at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on July 25, 2023 in Monza, Italy. (Sergione Infuso/Corbis via Getty Images)

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen offered an endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris – and a rejection of Donald Trump and JD Vance’s politics – in a video posted to the singer’s social media on Thursday.

“Friends, fans, and the press have asked me who I’m supporting in this most important of elections,” the singer said from a diner counter. “I’m supporting Kamala Harris for President and Tim Walz for Vice President, and opposing Donald Trump and JD Vance.”

The endorsement touted Harris’s record on social justice and her vision for the country, but was equally centered on the danger of a second Trump term in the "Born to Run" singer’s eyes.

“Donald Trump is the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime,” Springsteen warned, adding that his disdain for the Constitution should “disqualify him from the office of president ever again.” He added that Trump "doesn't understand the meaning of this country."

Minnesota Governor Walz, a proud “dad rock” fan, celebrated the endorsement on social media.

“As a lifelong fan, I couldn't be more honored to have your support,” Walz replied to the endorsement on Instagram.

The Harris campaign has cast itself as a “big tent,” drawing support from everyone from Bernie Sanders to Dick Cheney. The campaign's stable of celebrity backers is just as wide-ranging, with Harris and Walz snagging endorsements and rally appearances from rapper Megan Thee Stallion, Charli XCX, Taylor Swift and now, Springsteen.

The famous New Jerseyan, who previously backed Obama and narrated a 2020 ad for Biden, has a history of political activism. Springsteen opposed Trump’s playing of his songs at his rallies in 2016, becoming one of the earliest members of a dozens-deep roster of A-listers asking the ex-president to keep them off his campaign playlist. That same campaign, Springsteen called Trump a "moron."

The feeling is mutual, with Trump sharing at a rally earlier this year that he was never a fan of Springsteen.


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