Washington — Bruce Springsteen endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on Thursday, arguing the Democratic nominee supports a more unified and inclusive country while calling former President Donald Trump “the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime.”
“Perhaps not since the Civil War has this great country felt as politically, spiritually and emotionally divided as it does than at this moment. It doesn’t have to be this way,” the rock star said in a short video shared on social media.
He said Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, “are committed to a vision of this country that respects and includes everyone, regardless of class, religion, race, your political point of view or sexual identity.”
Harris’ proposals, he said, would grow the economy for everyone, not just the wealthy.
“That’s the vision of America I’ve been consistently writing about for 55 years,” Springsteen said.
He offered a harsh condemnation of Trump, saying the Republican nominee “doesn’t understand the meaning of this country, its history or what it means to be deeply American.”
“His disdain for the sanctity of our Constitution, the sanctity of democracy, the sanctity of the rule of law and the sanctity of the peaceful transfer of power should disqualify him from the office of president ever again,” he said.
The endorsement from Springsteen was no surprise. He has endorsed Democratic presidential candidates for years and has long been critical of Trump.
In a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, Springsteen called Trump a “moron.” When Trump was running for reelection in 2020, Springsteen told The Atlantic he didn’t know “if our democracy could stand another four years of his custodianship.”
It’s also unclear what impact major celebrity endorsements will have on the race. Taylor Swift drove more than 400,000 visits to vote.gov, a website with information about how to register to vote, in the 24 hours after she endorsed Harris.
A number of other music stars have spoken out in this campaign, including some who support Trump.
Springsteen acknowledged that his “opinion is no more or less important than those of any of my fellow citizens.”
“Like you, I’ve only got one vote and it’s one of the most precious possessions that I have,” he said.