Bono Weighs In on Trump-Springsteen Feud: ‘There’s Only One Boss in America’
The tension between former President Donald Trump and rock legend Bruce Springsteen has been well documented, but now U2 frontman Bono is stepping into the spotlight, firmly siding with Springsteen.
Trump famously referred to Springsteen as a “dried out prune,” escalating a feud that began when Springsteen kicked off his European tour in Manchester this past May.
During the concert, Springsteen criticized U.S. leadership as “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous.” Trump’s response was sharp and public, warning that Springsteen could face consequences upon returning to the U.S.
Bono, 65, addressed the controversy during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, declaring with trademark wit: “There’s only one boss in America.”
The feud intensified after Trump’s May 19 social media post, in which he suggested that artists—including Bono, Beyoncé, and Oprah—had been paid to perform for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris before the 2024 election. Bono pushed back, clarifying: “U2 and I were never paid—or played—a show to support any candidate from any party. That has never happened.” He also took aim at Trump’s Truth Social platform, noting, “It’s called ‘Truth Social’—seems pretty antisocial and isn’t very truthful much of the time.”
Bono has long expressed concern over Trump’s leadership, even before the 2016 election. He questioned what direction America would take under Trump and how it would impact people around the world who hold the American ideal close. “Good people are not going to stand silently while you run off with the American dream,” he said at the time—words that would prove prescient just a month before Trump’s victory.
With Bono now entering the conversation, the cultural clash between rock icons and the former president shows no signs of cooling, highlighting how deeply politics and pop culture often collide.