Bruce Springsteen stated in a recent interview airing Friday that President Trump fails to fully understand “what it means to be an American.”
“We’re living in a frightening time,” Mr. Springsteen told CBS. “The stewardship of the nation has been thrown away to somebody who doesn’t have a clue as to what that means. And unfortunately we have somebody who I feel doesn’t have a grasp of the deep meaning of what it means to be an American.”
Mr. Springsteen, 70, made the remark in response to being asked about remaining a target of the president’s “trash-talking,” years after the acclaimed singer and songwriter campaigned for Mr. Trump’s opponent in the 2016 race, former Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
“I didn’t need Beyonce and Jay-Z. And I didn’t need little Bruce Springsteen,” Mr. Trump said during a recent reelection campaign rally.
Asked if he was surprised about still being taunted by Mr. Trump, Mr. Springsteen told CBS: “Not really. Anything’s possible.”
A video clip of the exchange was shared on social media ahead of the full interview airing Friday on “CBS This Morning.”
Judd Deere, a White House deputy press secretary and special assistant to the president, pushed back against Mr. Springsteen’s remark later Friday.
“President Trump has accomplished more at this point in his first term than any president in history,” Mr. Deere told The Washington Times. “His policies are building a safer, stronger and more secure America that will last for generations. Along with record job growth, rising wages, fair and reciprocal trade deals, energy independence, lower prescription drug prices, criminal justice reform, securing our border, and judicial appointments who uphold the Constitution, this president is helping America win again.”
Mr. Springsteen has criticized Mr. Trump in the past, arguing in an interview last year that the president “has no interest in uniting the country.”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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