Hip-hop and rock fans united in their condemnation of Donald Trump after the US president went after Beyoncé, Jay-Z and “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen during a campaign rally in Minneapolis on Thursday night.
Trump bragged about the size of the crowds he attracted during the 2016 campaign and mocked his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, who had a series of high-profile musicians perform at her events.
“I didn’t need Beyoncé and Jay-Z,” said Trump. “And I didn’t need little Bruce Springsteen and all of these people.”
Trump then claimed, without offering any evidence, that musicians like Springsteen would sing two songs at Clinton’s rallies before leaving and taking most of the crowd with them while “she is still talking in front of the same lousy crowd.”
The three artists are yet to respond publicly to Trump’s comments.
Springsteen, however, has previously claimed Trump is “deeply damaged at his core” but also predicted he’ll win re-election in 2020.
Jay-Z, meanwhile, has called Trump a “superbug.”
Trump’s comments inevitably drew ire on Twitter, where one person backed Beyoncé by saying said “it’s time to get in impeachment formation” and another showed support for Springsteen by telling Trump “you’re President of the United States but you’ll NEVER be The Boss.”
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) also chimed in: