Bruce Springsteen wants you to know he loves his country so much he can't stop criticizing it.
Now, there's a kernel of decency in that state of mind. The whole, 'Merica, love it or leave it battle cry can be unhelpful at times. We're an imperfect union, and one of the country's best elements is how we always strive to be better.
Shutting off that conversation isn't helpful. Plus, you can love your country and still find the faults within. That sane, sober analysis is how Springsteen is spinning his current No Kings-style tour. (The better working title? "It's All Trump's fault!")
The new PBS special,“Bruce Springsteen: Finding America in Song,” finds the troubadour in a defensive frame of mind.
“I believe in critical patriotism ... I believe that’s the definition of a patriot, you know, that you love your country so much that you are willing to look at it clearly, recognize its faults, encourage it to be a better place, and believe that you carry in your heart the country that is waiting.”
The problem is obvious.
One, a lot of his critiques don't pass the smell test. He rages against all things Trump as if everything printed in The New York Times about the unorthodox leader is Gospel.
Heck, he probably still believes the "Very Fine People" hoax.
He's not getting a full picture of the President or a fair assessment of the latest headlines. How can we say that? We've heard his rhetoric from concert stages across America. It's dystopian, and America circa 2026 looks nothing like his description.
Bruce Springsteen, who talks about politics to bash the USA whenever a Republican is in office, made a surprise appearance at a festival to do so again, while throwing in the Trump-is-threat-to-democracy line that the left loves, and also libeling ICE agents. Here’s what he said… pic.twitter.com/pQES4wzK2z
— Paul Bond (@WriterPaulBond) January 19, 2026
Except the Boss' problem is worse.
Springsteen didn't say a peep about the political scene for the four, agonizing years of the Biden era. He stood by as a leader with obvious cognitive issues ran the country, hiding as much as possible from interviews and Q&As.
At least he didn't call Biden's serial gaffes "cheap fakes," but that's faint praise.
Does Springsteen know how the Legacy Media coddled President Biden, going so far as to work with the White House on coordinated questioning? The Vegas betting odds suggest he hadn't a clue.
Here's a fun one. Where are Joe Biden's notecards? pic.twitter.com/4WvQXdkuRn
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) May 25, 2025
The problem is far bigger than that, though.
Springseen didn't say anything about the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, the massive trove of weapons we left for the Taliban to use and how our hasty retreat cost innocent lives.
Not a word, let alone a song, about that.
Nor has he spoken up about the raging antisemitism coarsing through college campuses.
But wait ... there's more.
How about the conservatives silenced by Twitter in recent years, a scandal known as the Twitter Files? Or how his fellow Americans couldn't share their contrarian, and often accurate, views about the COVID-19 pandemic without being shadow banned or censored?
How about it, Mr. Free Speech Warrior?
Shouldn't a blue-collar bard like Springsteen speak up when ordinary parents were labeled "domestic terrorists" by the FBI for speaking up at school district meetings?
Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
Spare us your super patriotic shtick, Mr. Rock God. You're no better than a late-night host, pushing partisan talking points disguised as lovin' your country. You love your political party first and foremost.
