Bruce Springsteen called for a collective prayer of thanks for the safety of President Donald Trump following a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
The 76-year-old musician, who has been a vocal critic of the president for years, paused the E Street Band's concert at the Moody Center in Austin on Sunday to address the previous night's violence. He used the moment to insist that political disagreements must never turn into physical attacks.
"We begin tonight with a prayer for our men and women in service overseas, we pray for their safe return," Springsteen said, according to fan-recorded videos.
"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 [White House] Press Correspondents' Dinner," he added.
His comments came despite Springsteen's recent history of describing the administration as "corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless and treasonous" and his previous endorsement of Kamala Harris, whom he supported while calling Trump "the most dangerous candidate" of his lifetime, according to People.
The incident that prompted Springsteen’s remarks occurred Saturday, April 25, when gunfire broke out at the annual press gala.
Secret Service agents immediately evacuated the president, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and press secretary Karoline Leavitt as attendees sought cover beneath dining tables.
Law enforcement later identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California. According to multiple reports, Allen was arraigned Monday, facing federal gun charges and a charge of attempting to assassinate the president. He did not enter a plea.
Reflecting on the chaos of the evening during an interview with CBS News' "60 Minutes," Trump said he "wasn't worried."
"I understand life. We live in a crazy world," Trump said. "You can really enhance your chances of having a perfect situation, but sometimes things will happen."
The shooting marks the third potential attempt on the president's life in recent years, following the July 2024 shooting at a Pennsylvania rally and the discovery of an armed man at his Florida golf course two months later.
In Austin, Springsteen used his time on stage to make it clear that political conflict should never lead to physical harm.
"We can disagree. We can be critical of those in power, and we can peacefully fight for our beliefs," the singer told his audience. "But there is no place in any way, shape, or form for political violence of any kind in our beloved United States."
These comments come months after Trump called the singer a "dried-up prune."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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