EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 30: Bruce Springsteen performs at MetLife Stadium on August 30, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Manny Carabel/Getty Images)
(Manny Carabel/Getty Images)

‘The most dangerous candidate’: Heartland rocker Bruce Springsteen throws his star power behind Kamala Harris while also dropping bread crumbs about an orange boogeyman sequel

Bruce Springsteen has become the latest celebrity to endorse Kamala Harris for president. The legendary music artist made the announcement on his Instagram account Thursday, and it came with some harsh, deserved criticism of Donald Trump.

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This endorsement isn’t remotely a surprise if you know Springsteen’s politics. He has supported the LGBTQ+ community since the ’90s, consistently endorses Democratic candidates, and “Born in the USA” is not a patriotic anthem—it’s an angry takedown of the Vietnam war and the US government’s treatment of veterans. When Donald Trump used it for rallies in 2016, Springsteen responded with fury, and penned the anti-Trump song “That’s What Makes Us Great” in response.

Now the “Dancing in the Dark” singer is making his opinions clear as crystal once more. He began his video by saying, “Perhaps not since the Civil War has this great country felt as politically, spiritually and emotionally divided as it does at this moment.” But he believed Harris and her running mate Tim Waltz could heal that rift. He said that they were, “committed to a vision of this country that respects and includes everyone, regardless of class, religion, race, your political point of view or sexual identity, and they want to grow the economy in a way that benefits all, not just a few like me.”

“On top, that’s the vision of America I’ve been consistently writing about for 55 years,” he added.

Springsteen went on to slam Trump, saying:

“Donald Trump is the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime. His disdain for the sanctity of our Constitution, the sanctity of democracy, the sanctity of the rule of law and the sanctity of the peaceful transfer of power should disqualify him from the office of president ever again.”

Springsteen ended the video by imploring his fans to vote. So what can he expect now?

Well, he can probably expect an insult from the ever-tantruming Trump, but he can also expect his follower count to increase. When Taylor Swift endorsed Harris in September, Republicans tried to claim she experienced a massive decrease in popularity—but the opposite was true. She actually gained followers. According to Variety, her Spotify fan count shot up by 1.8 million after her endorsement for Harris. Springsteen may also see an influx of new fans pleased that he is standing up for democracy.


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Sarah Barrett
Sarah Barrett (she/her) is a freelance writer with The Mary Sue who has been working in journalism since 2014. She loves to write about movies, even the bad ones. (Especially the bad ones.) The Raimi Spider-Man trilogy and the Star Wars prequels changed her life in many interesting ways. She lives in one of the very, very few good parts of England.