A New Jersey-based news platform has taken aim at rock icon Bruce Springsteen, accusing him of hypocrisy for capitalizing on an expensive anti-Trump concert in his home state while maintaining his image as a “populist” rocker.
On Tuesday, NJ.com published an article titled “Springsteen’s N.J. concert was poisoned by hypocrisy. Anti-Trump final act is a tragic mistake.” The piece criticizes Springsteen’s approach during his recent tour, which began on March 31 in Minneapolis.
Throughout the tour, the 76-year-old rock star has launched fervent critiques against President Donald Trump, labeling the administration as “corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless, and treasonous.” He has also taken jabs at the 79-year-old president, calling him a “president who can’t handle the truth” among other criticisms.
The article highlighted that Springsteen initiated his New Jersey concert with the same outspoken rhetoric. During his Newark show, he urged the crowd to choose “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.”
Known for timeless hits like “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road,” and “Born in the U.S.A.,” Springsteen has long been an emblematic figure in American rock music. Over the years, he has been open about his political beliefs, often weaving them into his performances and public appearances.
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 Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, candidate Joe Biden in 2020, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016 and former President Barack Obama in 2012 and 2008.
“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.”
Springsteen’s home state news outlet argued 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.
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.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Springsteen’s representatives and did not receive an immediate reply.
