Bruce Springsteen delivered a blistering message aimed at Donald Trump on Wednesday during the penultimate episode of “The Late Show.”
Before performing his anti-Trump song “Streets of Minneapolis,” Springsteen voiced support for outgoing host Stephen Colbert and slammed both the president and CBS owners Larry and David Ellison.
“I am here in support tonight for Stephen, because you are the first guy in America who’s lost his show because we got a president who can’t take a joke and because Larry and David Ellison feel they need to kiss his ass to get what they want,” said the musician, a fierce critic of Trump.
The cancellation of Trump critic Colbert’s show — announced last July — was widely interpreted by critics as an attempt to smooth the way for the Ellison family’s bid to merge Paramount Global with Skydance, which later did indeed secure Trump administration approval.
Turning back to Colbert, Springsteen added: “Anyway, Stephen, these are small-minded people. They got no idea what the freedoms of this beautiful country are supposed to be about. This is for you.”
He then launched into “Streets of Minneapolis,” which he released in January in protest of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota following the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.