For everyone who loved the chorus of “Born in the USA” and glossed over the verses, it may come as a surprise to learn that Bruce Springsteen is not a fan of Donald Trump. In the most recent episode of his SiriusXM radio show “From My Home to Yours”, The Boss shared a prose poem lamenting that “There’s no art in this White House,” and mourning how “we’ve lost so much in so short a time.”
The episode’s full title was “From My Home To Yours, Volume 14: Farewell To The Thief.” Capturing the national psyche, his election episode was also a horror episode. “It is time for an exorcism in our nation’s Capital,” Springsteen said to being the program. “Welcome to our Halloween/election day monster mash.” He added, “In just a few days, we’ll be throwing the bums out. I thought it was a fucking nightmare, but it was so true.”
But the highlight was a scorching segment lambasting an utterly “joyless” Presidency. Call it a speech if you like, or a tuneless song. Springsteen’s precision writing carries the grace of poetry and the fire of a lifetime spent protesting injustice. He said,
“There’s no art in this White House. There’s no literature, no poetry, no music. There are no pets in this White House. No loyal man’s best friend, no Socks the family cat, no kids’ science fairs. No time when the president takes off his blue suit, red tie uniform and becomes human. Except when he puts on his white shirt and khaki pants uniform, and hides from the American people to play golf. There are no images of the first family enjoying themselves together in a moment of relaxation. No Obamas on the beach in Hawaii moments or Bushes fishing in Kennebunkport. No Reagans on horseback. No Kennedys playing touch football on the Cape. Where’d that country go? Where did all the fun, the joy, and the expression of love and happiness go? We used to be the country that did the ice bucket challenge and raised millions for charity. We used to have a president who calmed and soothed the nation instead of dividing it. And a first lady who planted a garden instead of ripping one out. We are rudderless and joyless. We have lost the cultural aspects of society that make America great. We have lost our mojo, our fun, our happiness, our cheering on of others, the shared experience of humanity that makes it all worth it. The challenges and the triumphs that we shared and celebrated, the unique can-do spirit that America has always been known for. We are lost. We’ve lost so much in so short a time. On November 3rd, vote them out.”
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Listen to Springsteen himself below. Last Friday, The Boss shared his excellent new album Letter to You, along with a documentary of the same name. He’s also been helming a different radio program at Apple Music, where he recently interviewed Eddie Vedder and Dave Grohl.
