There have been 47 think pieces about Springsteen and Trump, and here they are

Pete Chianca
3 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

OK, maybe not 47 — but there has been A LOT of discourse on the subject since Bruce Springsteen first made his thoughts about the current administration public in Manchester, UK, on May 13. Which is clearly the idea: Bruce wants to get the word out, or he probably wouldn't have posted the transcript and a video, and released an official EP spotlighting his remarks and the songs he sang reflecting the state of the nation as he sees it. He also hasn't let up on his in-show commentary, Donald Trump's threats be damned.

Of course, Trump responded right away last week with some remarks about Bruce's talent level and (checks notes) skin quality (??) — you'll recall we presented his and Bruce's remarks in point/counterpoint format, advantage: Bruce — but the president wasn't done there. He followed up with a threat to investigate Springsteen, along with Beyonce, Oprah, and Bono, for ... something? And then he shared a video someone created that made it look like he was knocking Bruce over with a golf ball, which was, admittedly, kind of funny.

It was a response that was typically Trumpian in its over-the-top lunacy, which, argue Wren Graves and Alex Young in Consequences of Sound, was exactly what Bruce had in mind. (Read: "How Bruce Springsteen Got to Donald Trump, and Why It Matters.") It spurred reams of news coverage, the aforementioned think pieces — if you go deep enough into the Google search results you may find some foaming conservatives (Tim Graham at The Daily Signal is quite incensed), but for the most part responses have been strikingly pro-Boss — and what is quickly becoming an avalanche of other artists lining up behind him. (I saw one myself when Sheryl Crow performed at Boston Calling last Friday.)

"I don't know, Bruce Springsteen for president?" Sheryl Crow asked at the Boston Calling Music Festival.

So if you're having trouble keeping track of it all, never fear: We've collected below the bulk of the coverage and opinions to have come out so far. But I'm sure there will be more: Bruce seems far from done speaking his mind.