Bruce Springsteen in Berlin: Preacher and Hard Worker

June 12, 2025, 10:56 AM |

Reading time: 4 min.

“The America that I love, the America that I have written so many songs about, that has been a beacon of hope and freedom for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treacherous government”: Bruce Springsteen. — "The America I love, the America I've written so many songs about, the America that has been a beacon of hope and freedom for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treacherous government." Bruce Springsteen. (Photo: Markus Schreiber/AP)

Bruce Springsteen sings in Berlin about America, the land of freedom and decency, of steelworkers and lone wolves. In between, he blasts Trump. The pathos is genuine – but what vision does the "Boss" have for the future of the USA?

By Joachim Hentschel

The women ask the men if they've remembered to put sunscreen on their foreheads. At the time they were supposed to arrive at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on Wednesday afternoon to get a good seat at the concert, it's still scorching hot. And they don't want to end up looking like—what did Donald Trump compare Bruce Springsteen's head to in his infamous X-post? That's right: a prune.