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Recently, a rumor surfaced that American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Bruce Springsteen missed an opportunity to perform at a concert with country musician George Strait over his anti-Trump remarks.
The claim was first uploaded on Facebook by the America’s Last Line of Defense account on May 18, 2025. It comprised an image of Bruce and George, with the caption:
“George Strait says he's canceling his crossover show with Bruce Springsteen on CMT this summer after his disrespectful remarks on stage in Europe. ‘I don't want anything to do with that,’ said King George, ‘There's no place for politics on my stages.’ The show would have been their third together.”
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However, despite gaining online traction, the now-viral claim has turned out to be fake. George Strait did not cancel his show with Bruce Springsteen over the latter’s anti-Trump comments, nor has he ever made such a statement about the E Street Band member.
Additionally, there are no confirmed/ verifiable media reports to indicate that the two were scheduled to perform together on stage shortly. Notably, the image in the Facebook post also had a ALLOD Satire watermark, further discrediting the rumor.
The America’s Last Line of Defense bio also came with a disclaimer that read:
“The flagship of the ALLOD network of trollery and propaganda for cash. Nothing on this page is real.”
Furthermore, the account is affiliated with dunning-kruger-times.com, a website known for its parodical and fabricated content published for sensationalism.
Thus, the ongoing George Strait-Bruce Springsteen rumor can be debunked.
George Strait did not cancel his show with Bruce Springsteen
Two days after America’s Line of Defense account posted the claim on Facebook, an individual named Antonio Sabato Jr, with over 194.7K followers on X, also shared a similar rumor about George Strait canceling his show with Bruce Springsteen.
The May 20 post, which amassed over 1.1 million views, also came with an image of the duo with the accompanying text:
“Country legend George Strait canceled his night at the Grand Ole Opry with Bruce Springsteen after the incident in Europe: ‘I don’t care who you are. You don’t mix music and politics.’ King George has spoken.”
However, the quote was falsely attributed to Strait as confirmed by the Whiskey Riff website, which debunked the rumor. The outlet also pointed out that much like the image on the America’s Line of Defense Facebook post, Antonio Sabato Jr’s post also had an ALLOD satire mark, thus discrediting it.
Whiskey Riff also reported that Strait and Springsteen weren’t meant to do a show together at the Grand Ole Opry. Thus, the X post can also be debunked as fake, created for virality.
However, the only fact in both posts is that Bruce Springsteen indeed made anti-Trump comments at his recent shows in Manchester, England, on May 14 and May 17.
Exploring Bruce Springsteen’s anti-Trump comments
Bruce Springsteen performed at the Co-Op Live stage in Manchester, England, on May 14, on the opening night of his ‘Land of Hopes and Dreams Tour’ Europe leg. During the concert, he called out Donald Trump and his current administration by saying:
“In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration.”
Springsteen called upon the “righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n roll in dangerous times,” and urged his audience to rise and raise their voices against “authoritarianism” and restore their faith in democracy, freedom, and the “American experiment.”
Springsteen went on to criticize DOGE leader Elon Musk and his decision to cut funding for USAID and ICE. Calling the POTUS “unfit” and his government “rogue,” Bruce claimed that the current administration has failed to protect the working-class Americans, immigrants, and minorities by seemingly betraying allies and supporting dictators.
The rock musician also slammed the Trump administration for punishing universities like Harvard for not aligning with their ideologies. Amid his rant, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on May 16, 2025, calling Bruce Springsteen “highly overrated” and slamming him for speaking “badly” about him.
“Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy – just a pushy, obnoxious JERK who fervently supported crooked Joe Biden…” Trump wrote.
The POTUS further berated his physical appearance and called Springsteen’s skin “atrophied,” adding, he is a “dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker.” Trump also warned Bruce to “KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT.”
However, the Born in the USA artist refused to back down and reiterated his previous criticism during another one of his England concerts on May 17.
“Things are happening right now that are altering the very nature of our country's democracy, and they're too important to ignore,” Bruce Springsteen stated.
On May 19, Donald Trump responded on Truth Social, threatening to investigate Bruce Springsteen and other celebrities like Beyoncé, Oprah, and Bono for supporting Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
Trump claimed Springsteen was paid for a “poor performance” at a Harris-Walz campaign event, calling it illegal. He also repeated past insults, saying Springsteen is “not a talented guy,” as he had when the singer endorsed Harris in October 2024.
Neither George Strait nor Bruce Springsteen has addressed the latest rumor.
