Bruce Springsteen Slams Trump, Says He Doesn't 'Grasp' What It Means To Be An American

Music legend Bruce Springsteen recently hit back at President Trump by saying he "doesn't have a grasp of the deep meaning of what it means to be an American."

During an interview with CBS This Morning's Gayle King, Springsteen, who is releasing a new album called Western Stars, was asked about Trump's dig at him during a rally in Minneapolis.

Trump lambasted Hillary Clinton's use of high-powered musical guests during the 2016 election, saying:

"I didn't need Beyoncé and Jay-Z. And I didn't need little Bruce Springsteen and all of these people."

"You surprised that he's trash talking you after all this time?" King asked.

"Not really," Springsteen responded with a laugh. "Anything's Possible."

"I know. I mean, a lot of people are concerned about the direction of the country," King lamented, to which Springsteen said:

"It's just frightening, you know? We're living in a frightening time. The stewardship of the nation has been thrown away to somebody who doesn't have a clue as to what that means.

He continued:

"And unfortunately we have somebody who I feel doesn't have a grasp of the deep meaning of what it means to be an American."

Springsteen has long been a vocal critic of Trump, telling Esquire magazine in an interview last year that Trump's presidency is "unforgivable," saying:

"[He] has no interest in uniting the country, really, and actually has an interest in doing the opposite and dividing us, which he does on an almost daily basis. So that's simply a crime against humanity, as far as I'm concerned."

He added:

"It's an awful, awful message to send out into the world if you're in that job and in that position. It's just an ugly, awful message. You are intentionally trying to disenfranchise a large portion of Americans. I mean, you are simply...that's unforgivable. And then there's just the rise of—whether it's the alt-right or the folks who were marching in Charlottesville with their tiki torches and all of that coming to the fore again, you know? Which our president was more than happy to play into and to play to."

"So these are folks who are invested in denying the idea of a united America and an America for all. It's a critical moment. This has come so far to the surface, and it's so toxic. And it appears to have a grip...and to be so powerful...in a lot of people's lives at the moment. It's a scary moment for any conscientious American, I think."

Springsteen's sentiments seemed to resonate with many people:

You can check out the full two-part interview in which Springsteen discusses his life, career, and politics below:

And his latest album, Western Stars is available here.

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