Bruce Springsteen has never been afraid to call Donald Trump out — and he’s not holding back in his newest song.
In “Streets of Minneapolis,” the protest song he released Wednesday, Springsteen takes aim at Trump and his ICE agents’ invasion of Minneapolis. The “Born to Run” crooner dedicated the song to Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom were killed this month by ICE and Border Patrol agents in the city.
“I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis,” Springsteen said in a statement. “It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”
In the opening lines, the legendary singer-songwriter takes aim at “King Trump” and his “private army from the DHS” who have infiltrated the city. Later, Springsteen seemingly refers to ICE and Border Patrol agents as “federal thugs” who killed Alex Pretti, left to “lay in the snow, dead.”
Never one to mince words in his music, Springsteen also name drops DHS head Kristi Noem and homeland security advisor Stephen Miller and their “dirty lies,” referencing their claims that agents fired on Good and Pretti in self-defense.
Good, a mother-of-three, was killed January 7 by ICE agents, while Pretti , an ICU nurse, was gunned down by Border Patrol officials January 24. Both shootings have ignited outrage and sparked protests across the country, provoked by Trump officials claiming agents fired their guns at the civilians in self-defense.
Pretti and Good are mentioned by name throughout the song, including with the profound stanza: “And there were bloody footprints / Where mercy should have stood / And two dead left to die on snow-filled streets / Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”
The song candidly touches on the stark realities millions of Americans are facing under the Trump administration. “Now they say they’re here to uphold the law / But they trample on our rights / If your skin is black or brown my friend / You can be questioned or deported on sight,” Springsteen bellows.
Chants of “ICE out” are also included on the track, echoing calls from politicians, celebrities, and civilians alike for Trump to remove the agents from Minneapolis and other cities across the U.S.
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The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
Springsteen has repeatedly taken aim at Trump and ICE, most recently doing so January 17 in a surprise appearance at the Light of Day Winterfest in his home state of New Jersey.
A longtime critic of Trump — with whom Springsteen publicly sparred last year — the 76-year-old rocker slammed the administration while introducing his 1978 song, “The Promised Land” and called for ICE to “ get the f*** out of Minneapolis.”
In the hours since the new song’s release, Springsteen has been applauded for composing “a much needed balm for our wounded souls,” as one fan commented on his Instagram post.
