Rock Feud Ignites: Aaron Lewis Blasts Bruce Springsteen Over ‘Born in the U.S.A.’

In a recent appearance on The Tucker Carlson Show, Staind frontman Aaron Lewis reignited his long-standing criticism of Bruce Springsteen, drawing sharp political and cultural lines between himself and the legendary New Jersey rocker. The outspoken conservative artist accused Springsteen of betraying the American ideals that helped shape his career, labeling him “a disgusting display” of someone ungrateful for the success he’s enjoyed in the United States.

Lewis argued that Springsteen misled fans for decades, specifically citing the 1984 hit “Born in the U.S.A.” — a track Springsteen has long described as a protest song — as an example of what Lewis sees as “one of the most anti-American songs ever.” Once seen by Lewis as a symbol of blue-collar American values, Springsteen is now, in his view, someone who has “lost touch with the struggle.”

“He’s Forgotten Where He Came From”

According to Lewis, fame and fortune have caused Springsteen to drift away from the realities of working-class life. “If you’re not careful, this career can consume you,” Lewis told Carlson. “It’s obvious he’s lost sight of the reality of the country he lives in.”

Lewis suggested that wealth and privilege have led many artists — Springsteen included — to adopt political views that are disconnected from the average American experience. He believes that some musicians support liberal causes not out of conviction, but out of guilt for their own success, describing their views as “virtue signaling” and “nonsensical.”

Referencing Springsteen’s longtime support for Democratic politicians, Lewis didn’t hold back. “It seems like most people who have lost touch with the true struggle of life, those are the people that vote for these f***ing idiots,” he said, adding that political division in the U.S. is being artificially manufactured to keep Americans fighting among themselves.

A Culture War Set to Music

Lewis’s criticism of Springsteen isn’t limited to interviews — he’s brought it into his music. In his polarizing 2021 solo single, Am I the Only One, Lewis sings: “Am I the only one who quits singin’ along every time they play a Springsteen song?” The track laments perceived liberal overreach, referencing everything from flag-burning to the removal of historical statues.

When asked why he singled out Springsteen in the song, Lewis explained that he felt betrayed. “He’s always portrayed himself as the all-American middle-class guy,” Lewis told The Daily Wire. “And during all of this craziness, he said that if one man is re-elected to the office of presidency that he was gonna move to Australia. How American is that?”

Springsteen, for his part, has remained vocal in his opposition to former President Donald Trump. During his Land of Hope and Dreams tour, the E Street Band frontman called Trump “a treasonous president” and “a moron,” blaming him only in part for what he described as a deeper American crisis. In a New York Times interview, Springsteen pointed to the country’s long-standing economic inequalities and deindustrialization as the root causes that made Americans vulnerable to populist politics. “It’s an American tragedy,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lewis continues to embrace his role as a controversial figure in American rock. He has led anti-Biden chants at concerts and frequently attacks Democratic leaders in interviews and on stage. A self-described seeker of alternative media, Lewis told the Anchorage Press that he avoids mainstream news and instead follows commentators like Dan Ball, Andrew Wilkow, and Mark Levin — with Tucker Carlson as his preferred television source.