Bruce Springsteen sets feud aside as he prays for Donald Trump during concert following assassination attempt

Olivia Gantzer
Tue, 28 Apr 2026 06:57:14 +0000

Bruce Springsteen delivered an impassioned address during his Austin concert on Sunday evening, condemning political violence in the wake of the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

The 76-year-old rock legend, despite his well-documented opposition to the Trump administration, expressed relief that no one was harmed in Saturday's incident.

"We begin tonight with a prayer for our men and women in service overseas, we pray for their safe return.

"We also send out a prayer of thanks that our president, nor anyone in the administration, nor anyone attending, was injured at last night's incident at the press correspondents' dinner," Mr Springsteen told the crowd.

He continued: "We can disagree. We can be critical of those in power, and we can peacefully fight for our beliefs, but there is no place in any way, shape, or form for political violence of any kind in our beloved United States."

The shooting occurred on Saturday evening at the Washington Hilton, where the annual dinner was being held.

Secret Service agents swiftly moved Trump, Melania Trump and other senior administration officials to safety as an armed individual allegedly discharged a weapon after bypassing security outside the ballroom.

Guests at the event reportedly took cover beneath tables during the incident.

The suspect has been named as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen.

No attendees sustained injuries during the alleged attack, though the incident forced organisers to cancel the remainder of the Correspondents' Dinner.

The shooting is believed to have been politically motivated.

Speaking to 60 Minutes following the incident, Trump stated: "I wasn't worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world."

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Mr Springsteen's condemnation of the violence marks a notable shift in tone given his years of fierce criticism directed at Mr Trump.

In a 2016 Rolling Stone interview, conducted two months before Mr Trump's first election victory, the Born to Run singer branded him a "moron" and warned his rhetoric posed dangers to American democracy.

"Once you let those genies out of the bottle, they don't go back in so easy, if they go back in at all," he said at the time, expressing concern about white nationalism entering mainstream discourse.

The musician backed Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential race, performing at one of her campaign rallies.

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More recently, during his current Land of Hope and Dreams tour, Mr Springsteen labelled the administration "corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless and treasonous" and urged audiences to choose "unity over division."

Mr Trump has responded to Springsteen's ongoing criticism earlier this month.

The president took to Truth Social to attack the musician, writing: "Bad, and very boring singer, Bruce Springsteen, who looks like a dried up prune who has suffered greatly from the work of a really bad plastic surgeon, has long had a horrible and incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome."

He added: "The guy is a total loser who spews hate against a President who won a Landslide Election. MAGA SHOULD BOYCOTT HIS OVERPRICED CONCERTS, WHICH SUCK. SAVE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY."

Following Saturday's shooting, Mr Springsteen reportedly scaled back his usual criticisms of the president during the Austin performance.