WASHINGTON: Donald Trump told his followers on Thursday to boycott Bruce Springsteen in an angry rant against the rock icon who has emerged as a fierce critic of the US president’s often harsh immigration crackdown.

Calling Springsteen “a dried up prune who has suffered greatly from the work of a really bad plastic surgeon”, Trump said his right-wing supporters should keep away from the singer’s concerts.

The shows are “overpriced” and “suck”, 79-year-old Trump wrote on his Truth Social site in a post filled with his trademark insults and boasts about his record as president.

Springsteen, a major US rock figure for more than half a century and winner of 20 Grammys, has been outspoken against Trump’s bid to carry out mass deportations of undocumented migrants.

The raids, often by masked agents, have prompted widespread anger but are popular in Trump’s core right-wing base.

On Saturday, Springsteen headlined a “No Kings” rally in the northern city of Minneapolis months after the city became a protest flashpoint. Organisers estimated around 200,000 people attended the event.

In January the veteran singer released his song “Streets of Minneapolis” in response to the crackdown, where masked immigration agents shot dead two protesting US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Springsteen’s song calls the immigration agents “King Trump’s private army”.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2026