A quote circulating on social media in July 2026, attributed to musician Bruce Springsteen, states: "There’s some very weird, strange and dangerous s*** going on in America. A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president."
This attribution is correct. Springsteen delivered these remarks during a concert in Manchester, United Kingdom, on May 14, 2025. His official website features a transcript of his statements, and a video clip of him speaking is available on his YouTube channel, along with the song he performed afterward.
It is important to note that the widely shared social media posts combined two separate sentences from a longer quote delivered by Springsteen. The full quote, from his introduction to the song "My City of Ruins," addresses various issues within the United States.
The complete statement, as captured in the transcript from his official website, is as follows:
"There’s some very weird, strange and dangerous s*** going on out there right now. In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now.
In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now.
In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers.
They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that has led to a more just and plural society.
They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They are defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands.
They are removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all happening now.
A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government. They have no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American.
The America I’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people. So we’ll survive this moment. Now, I have hope, because I believe in the truth of what the great American writer James Baldwin said. He said, ‘In this world, there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough.’ Let’s pray."
Footage of Springsteen delivering this statement can be found in the video of his "My City of Ruins" performance from Manchester on his official YouTube channel. The initial part of the statement is audible around the 26-second mark, while the portion referencing the "unfit president" begins at approximately 2 minutes and 18 seconds into the video.
In May 2025, Snopes also verified another quote from the same Manchester concert, confirming its correct attribution to Springsteen.