Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
Bruce Springsteen used the American Film Institute’s Opening Night Gala on Oct. 22, 2025, to deliver a pointed message amid nationwide demonstrations targeting President Donald Trump. Before performing “Land of Hope and Dreams” at the event, he described the song as “a prayer for America, our community and no kings,” according to USA Today.
Speaking from the stage at the TCL Chinese Theatre while supporting the new biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, Springsteen said the country is experiencing intense upheaval. He acknowledged the nation’s serious wounds but insisted its founding ideals remain worthy of defence.
Billboard contacted the White House seeking comment.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has pledged to keep calling out what he views as dangerous tendencies in the current administration. In September he told TIME he wouldn’t abandon his principles or allow the administration a “free pass.” That determination has resulted in direct confrontations: after Springsteen criticized the federal government at a concert in May, the president replied on Truth Social with personal attacks, calling him “dumb as a rock” and a “pushy, obnoxious JERK.”
Springsteen hasn’t held back in interviews either. In June he referred to the political situation as an American tragedy and, speaking to The New York Times, described conditions that he believes made the country susceptible to demagoguery.
Below is a clip of his AFI FEST appearance:
A post shared by American Film Institute (@americanfilminstitute)
