'Trump Is Running To Be An American Tyrant': Bruce Springsteen At Star-Studded Kamala Rally

Last Updated:October 25, 2024, 08:15 IST

Kamala Harris rallies in Georgia with Obama and Springsteen, emphasizing middle-class priorities and urging voters ahead of a close election against Trump

Bruce Springsteen performs during a campaign rally with Barack Obama supporting Kamala Harris at the James R Hallford Stadium in Clarkston, Georgia on October 24, 2024. (AFP)

US rock legend Bruce Springsteen on Thursday threw his support behind Kamala Harris at a rally in Georgia, as he slammed US presidential candidate Donald Trump as an “American tyrant”.

“She’s running to be the 47th president of the United States. Donald Trump is running to be an American tyrant,” said Springsteen, who performed three songs for a cheering crowd gathered to watch the Democratic candidate speak in Atlanta. “He does not understand this country, its history or what it means to be deeply American, and that’s why, November 5, I’m casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Waltz,” he added.

‘Oppose’ Trump

Springsteen is one of several celebrities deployed on the campaign trail by the Harris campaign as it seeks an edge over Trump in the final days of an election that is still too close to call. He said he was at the Thursday rally to “oppose” Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance.

“I want a president who reveres the Constitution, who does not threaten but wants to protect and guide our great democracy, who believes in the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power, who will fight for a woman’s right to choose, and who wants to create a middle class economy that will serve all our citizens,” Springsteen said.

“There is only one candidate in this election who holds those principles dear: Kamala Harris,” he added. Springsteen, who has a reputation for his socially conscious, working-class anthems, performed tracks “The Promised Land,” “Land of Hope and Dreams,” and “Dancing in the Dark.

Obama, Beyonce and more

Former US president Barack Obama also appeared at the star-studded rally Thursday in swing state Georgia. Harris is cranking up the celebrity wattage — including with Beyonce in Texas on Friday, according to reports — at a series of concerts in battleground states in hopes of pulling away from rival Donald Trump.

Springsteen and Obama each delivered barbs aimed at the Republican as they addressed a crowd of thousands in Clarkston, just outside Atlanta. “Donald Trump is running to be an American tyrant,” Springsteen said, echoing concerns by Democrats — as well as former members of Trump’s administration — about how Trump may misuse presidential power if reelected.

Obama, the only Black president in US history who remains widely popular among Democrats, delivered a series of attacks at Trump — questioning his business credentials and mocking his “word salad” speeches. “We do not need four years of a wannabe king, a wannabe dictator, running around trying to punish his enemies,” Obama said.

Large numbers of Americans, including about 2.2 million in Georgia, have already cast ballots in early voting, reflecting intense engagement ahead of Election Day on November 5. The vice president herself had raised the stakes in a CNN appearance late Wednesday when she said she considers 78-year-old Trump to be a “fascist” — echoing a charge from a bombshell interview by the Republican’s former chief of staff, John Kelly.

(With agency inputs)

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

News world 'Trump Is Running To Be An American Tyrant': Bruce Springsteen At Star-Studded Kamala Rally