BERLIN (AP) — Veteran rock star Bruce Springsteen, a high-profile critic of President Donald Trump, slammed the U.S. administration as “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous” during a concert Wednesday in Berlin.
He was addressing tens of thousands of fans at a stadium built for the 1936 Olympic Games that still bears the scars of World War II and contains relics from the country’s dark Nazi past.
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Bruce Springsteen performs with the E Street Band at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Spectators watch Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Olympic Stadium, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Bruce Springsteen, center, performs with the E Street Band at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Bruce Springsteen performs with the E Street Band at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Bruce Springsteen performs with the E Street Band at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
“Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices, stand with us against authoritarianism, and let freedom reign,” he said.
Springsteen has made increasingly pointed and contentious public statements in recent concerts. He peppered Wednesday's performance with mentions of the American democracy's system of checks and balances designed to ward against authoritarianism.
His short speeches — referencing recent headlines about immigration raids, the freezing of federal funds for universities and measles outbreaks — came between songs that were also captioned in German on large screens beside the stage. The set was flanked by an American flag on one side and a German flag on the other.
Still, the Boss remained hopeful: “The America that I've sung to you about for the past 50 years of my life is real. And regardless of its many faults, it's a great country with great people. And we will survive this moment.”
But last month in Manchester, he denounced Trump's politics during a concert, calling him an “unfit president” leading a “rogue government” of people who have “no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American.”
Springsteen is no stranger to Berlin. In July 1988, he became one of the first Western musicians to perform in East Germany, performing to a roaring crowd of 160,000 East Germans yearning for American rock ’n’ roll and the freedom it represented to the youth living under the crumbling communist regime.
“I’m not here for or against any government. I’ve come to play rock ’n’ roll for you in the hope that one day all the barriers will be torn down,” Springsteen said in German at the time, before launching into a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom.”
An Associated Press news story from that period says “fireworks streaked through the sky” and hundreds of people in the audience waved handmade American flags as they sang along to “Born in the USA.”
The Berlin Wall fell the following year, and some experts credit the concert for its part in fueling the protest movement that brought the end of the Communist government.
Almost four decades later, Springsteen issued a stark warning: “The America that I love, the America that I’ve sung to you about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration."
The rocker closed Wednesday's three-hour show with “Chimes of Freedom.”
Bruce Springsteen performs with the E Street Band at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Spectators watch Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at the Olympic Stadium, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Bruce Springsteen, center, performs with the E Street Band at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Bruce Springsteen performs with the E Street Band at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Bruce Springsteen performs with the E Street Band at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Dallas (7-8-1) at N.Y. Giants (3-13)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox
BetMGM NFL Odds: Cowboys by 3 1/2
Against the spread: Cowboys 7-9; Giants 7-8-1
Series record: Dallas leads 78-47-2.
Last week: Cowboys beat Commanders 30-23; Giants beat Raiders 34-10.
Last meeting: Dallas beat Washington 40-37 in OT on Sept. 14.
Cowboys offense: overall (1), rush (9), pass (1), scoring (4)
Cowboys defense: overall (30), rush (t20), pass (32), scoring (32)
Giants offense: overall (15), rush (6), pass (21), scoring (21)
Giants defense: overall (29), rush (30), pass (20), scoring (26)
Turnover differential: Cowboys minus-8; Giants minus-3
QB Dak Prescott has a 14-game winning streak against the Giants since two of his losses in a 13-3 rookie season in 2016 came against them. It’s the second-longest winning streak against a single opponent in NFL history behind Bob Griese, who beat Buffalo 17 consecutive times from 1968-79. Prescott will get credit for a Dallas victory because he is expected to start. The question is how long he will play in a finale with no playoff implications. Either way, this will go down as one of Prescott’s best seasons. He enters the final week first in the NFL with 4,482 yards passing.
WR Wan'Dale Robinson gets to put the finishing touches on his case for a new contract, either with the team that drafted him or elsewhere. Robinson last week became the first player 5-foot-8 or shorter to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving since 5-7 Richard Johnson in 1989 and just the third since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. And he's playing against a Dallas secondary without Trevon Diggs, who was released on Tuesday.
Cowboys' offensive line vs. Giants' pass rush. New York's Brian Burns trails only Cleveland record-chasing Myles Garrett in sacks with a career-high 16 1/2, while rookie Abdul Carter has heated up with 3 1/2 over the past four games. Dallas would like to keep Prescott upright, no matter how long he plays.
Cowboys: RBs Javonte Williams (stinger) and Malik Davis (calf/eye) have been ruled out. The backs with a chance to be active have 54 career carries among them: FB Hunter Luepke (32) and rookies Jaydon Blue (22) and Phil Mafah (0). Mafah has been out all season with a shoulder injury, and is listed as questionable ... LB DeMarvion Overshown and rookie CB Shavon Revel have been dealing with concussions and won't play.
Giants: Two starters in the secondary are out: CB Cor'Dale Flott (knee) and S Jevon Holland (knee/concussion).
The Cowboys have won nine in a row against the Giants and 16 of the past 17. It's the longest active series in the league. Dallas' last winning streak this long was against Carolina from 1998-2012. ... Each team has been eliminated from playoff contention. ... The Cowboys are trying to avoid consecutive losing seasons for the first time since going 5-11 under coach Dave Campo from 2000-02. ... New York can still secure the top draft pick with a loss and Las Vegas victory against Kansas City or could drop as low as No. 7. ... This is expected to be interim coach Mike Kafka's final game with the Giants.
Cowboys WR George Pickens needs 80 yards receiving to reach 1,500 in his Dallas debut after the offseason trade from Pittsburgh. His only 1,000-yard season in three years with the Steelers came in 2023, when he had 1,140. … Ferguson needs one touchdown catch to tie the franchise tight end record of nine, held by Jason Witten and Billy Joe Dupree. … In their Week 2 game, K Brandon Aubrey had a tying 64-yard field goal on the final play of regulation and a winning 46-yarder as time expired in overtime in the 40-37 Dallas victory. ... Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart has accounted for 22 TDs (13 passing and nine rushing) with just five interceptions, in his first 11 professional starts. ... Robinson led the team with 113 yards receiving at Las Vegas. He had 142 in Week 2 at Dallas, which was before top receiver Malik Nabers was knocked out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee. ... LB Bobby Okereke intercepted Geno Smith and had seven tackles last week. ... CB Deonte Banks returned a kickoff 95 yards for a TD against the Raiders.
Daily fantasy players might be able to cash in if Giants RB Tyrone Tracy has another big game rushing and receiving.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
FILE - Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) is sacked by Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) during a NFL football game against the New York Giants on Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson, File)
FILE - Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) carries the ball after reception during a NFL football game against the New York Giants on Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson, File)
