Bruce Springsteen, Ethel Cain, Jack White, and More Respond to Donald Trump’s Election Victory
Bruce Springsteen, Jack White, Ethel Cain ()
After Donald J. Trump's crushing victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday's U.S. presidential election, artists, and a sizable chunk of the music community at large, have been trying to make sense of the president-elect's second electoral victory. In Instagram stories, Ariana Grande lamented the "immeasurable heaviness" of the outcome, and Billie Eilish wrote simply, "It's a war on women." Others, like Bruce Springsteen —who endorsed Harris and performed at her Philadelphia rally—advocated for continued resistance. He introduced his 2007 song "Long Walk Home" as a "fighting prayer" for America at the start of his Toronto show last night. Watch footage of that below.
Ethel Cain wrote a critical assessment of Trump's appeal on Tumblr: "The problem," she began, "is that America has beaten down its people for decades and gotten them weak and desperate and now promises a way out, a way to transcend and rise above, through selling out their fellow man." Cain also wrote:
Cain continued:
Cardi B , who proudly supported Harris in the days before the election, posted a note on social media directly addressing the vice president, praising her honesty and integrity during the campaign and thanking her for "being a real example of what the American dream should be." She wrote, "No one has ever changed my mind and you did! I never thought I would see the day that a woman of color would be running for the President of the United States, but you have shown me, shown my daughters and women across the country that anything is possible."
On Instagram , Jack White —who is suing Trump and his campaign in federal court—penned a screed about the "racist, impeached, convicted felon and convicted rapist who stole national secrets and hid them in his bathroom, who told us to inject bleach, who wanted to fix hurricanes with nuclear weapons, who insulted handicap people, called military veterans suckers, who incited an insurrection."
The post begins, "Trump won the popular vote. End of story. Americans chose a known, obvious fascist and now America will get whatever this wannabe dictator wants to enact from here on in. We all know what he is capable of: Project 2025, deportations, nationwide abortion ban, ending his own 2 term limit, backing Putin and his war, shutting down the Board of Education, adding to climate change, limiting LGBTQ rights, controlling the DOJ, keeping the minimum wage down, etc. etc. etc."
White also criticized "all those rich pricks riding in their Cybertrucks listening to their Rogan and Bannon and Alex jones podcasts," who are "laughing all the way to the bank looking forward to their tax cuts that don't apply to the middle class."
Jack Antonoff also took to social media to share a statement of hope following Trump's win. "we turn to each other at the best times as we do at the worst times," he posted . "our community is alive because we lift and take care of each other. we are not moved by bullshit. when we're afraid we lean on each other. right now we are going to do exactly that. we are going to be there for each other."
In their Instagram stories, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard expressed their disappointment in the election results. "It's a sad day for people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, women, those with disabilities," the band wrote. "It's a sad day for planet Earth, the climate, the soil we grow our food in, the air we fucking breathe. As a band of six white dudes, I acknowledge the privilege that we have. We work really hard to create a community which is inclusive and progressive. We'll keep fighting for you. We love you."
