“Musicians have the right to freedom of expression, and we stand in solidarity with all our members,” wrote the American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) is standing by its artists. On Friday, the union issued a statement defending Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen after Donald Trump attacked the two stars on social media.
“[We] will not remain silent as two of our members—Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift—are singled out and personally attacked by the President of the United States,” read the statement from AFM President Tino Gagliardi. “Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift are not just brilliant musicians, they are role models and inspirations to millions of people in the United States and across the world.”
The statement lauded the stars for their “timeless” music with “deep cultural meaning,” signing off the note: “Musicians have the right to freedom of expression, and we stand in solidarity with all our members.”
The statement comes after the President shared several posts on Truth Social Friday, denouncing the stars, “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’” The message was in reference to a post he shared in September last year against the international pop star who has voiced her disagreement with POTUS’ policies multiple times.
As for Springsteen, Trump decided to share that he “never liked” the Boss’ music and called him “dumb as a rock,” after the music icon described the president as “incompetent and treasonous” at his European tour kickoff. “He’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden,” Trump ranted.
Springsteen has, of course, criticized Trump plenty of times on American soil. In a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, Springsteen called him a “moron,” and at a 2024 campaign rally for Kamala Harris, he called Trump an “American tyrant.”