Bruce Springsteen has offered a “prayer of thanks” that President Donald Trump was not killed during the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington DC,
The 76-year-old rock star has been a longtime critic of the Trump administration, which he has labelled “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous.”
However, Springsteen paused that criticism when he took the stage Sunday night in Austin, Texas.
In video circulating on social media, the “Born to Run” singer can be heard telling his audience: “We begin tonight with a prayer for our men and women in service overseas, we pray for their safe return.
“We also send out a prayer of thanks that our president, nor anyone in the administration, nor anyone attending, was injured at last night’s incident at the [White House] press correspondents’ dinner.”
Springsteen continued: “We can disagree. We can be critical of those in power, and we can peacefully fight for our beliefs. But there is no place in any way, shape, or form for political violence of any kind in our beloved United States.”
The musician known as “The Boss” and the president have had a long-running feud that dates back over a decade.
In 2012, before his entry into politics, Trump singled out Springsteen multiple times on social media.
“Why would Ohio listen to Bruce Springsteen reading his lines? Be careful or I will go to Ohio and @MittRomney will win it,” he wrote on Twitter after the musician appeared at a “get‑out‑the‑vote” rally for then-President Barack Obama.
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In September of 2016, two months before the election, Springsteen blasted Trump as a “moron” in Rolling Stone, warning that the republic was “under siege” and calling it “a tragedy for our democracy.” He endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Earlier this month, Trump implored MAGA loyalists to boycott Springsteen, branding the musician “a dried up prune” whose concert tickets are too pricey.
“Bad, and very boring singer, Bruce Springsteen, who looks like a dried up prune who has suffered greatly from the work of a really bad plastic surgeon, has long had a horrible and incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” the Republican president wrote on Truth Social.
“The guy is a total loser who spews hate against a President who won a Landslide Election,” he added. “MAGA SHOULD BOYCOTT HIS OVERPRICED CONCERTS, WHICH SUCK. SAVE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY.”
Springsteen is well known for using his music to speak out about political issues.