Donald Trump Takes Jab at Bruce Springsteen at Massive New Jersey Rally

Former President Donald Trump took a jab at New Jersey rock icon Bruce Springsteen during his massive Jersey Shore rally on Saturday afternoon.

In front of tens of thousands of supporters on the beachfront in Wildwood, New Jersey, Trump said:

"I love these Saturday evenings. Is there anything better than a Trump rally? If some of these wackos came along, you know, these liberal singers, they'd actually vote for me. You know, like Bruce Springsteen. We have a much bigger crowd than Bruce Springsteen. Right?"

The "Born in the USA" hitmaker is a lifelong Democrat and fervent Trump critic. In addition, he launched a podcast series three years ago, Renegades: Born in the USA," with former President Barack Obama.

The remarks drew immediate reaction on social media.

"We have a much bigger crowd than Bruce Springsteen," Trump tells a crowd in New Jersey. "I'm sure he's a nice guy." (Genuinely curious if he knows Springsteen has endorsed every Democratic presidential candidate since 2004 and has a podcast with Obama.)," Wall Street Journal reporter Vivian Salama posted on X.

"Bruce Springsteen,,,, if you want to be in an ad making it really clear you won't vote for Trump despite what he says, hit us up," Liz Charboneau, VP of research for the Pro-Biden super PAC, American Bridge 21st Century, posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"Bold move going after Bruce Springsteen in NJ...Trump claims his crowd in Wildwood is bigger than Bruce's," POLITICO correspondent Meredith McGraw posted on X.

Newsweek reached out to Springsteen Saturday night through his management company's website for comment. Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign via email Saturday night.

Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew declared Trump's massive rally as "the largest political rally in the history of New Jersey."

The former president made a bold claim Saturday that he was going to win The Garden State, a Democratic stronghold.

"We're going to officially play in the state of New Jersey. We're going to win New Jersey," he told the roaring crowd.

New Jersey has gone Democratic in the last eight elections. President Joe Biden won the state over Donald Trump by a margin of 57 percent to 41 percent in 2020.

The Hill/Emerson Poll released April 2 shows Biden leading Trump by a margin of 46 percent to 39 percent in New Jersey. In a five-person race with independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy and Cornel West, along with Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Biden's lead in the state over Trump shrinks to 41 percent to 36 percent.

Saturday's Trump rally was held 150 miles south of the Manhattan courthouse where the former president has been forced to spend most weekdays sitting silently through his felony hush money trial.

Trump is the first former president in U.S. history to stand trial in a criminal case. He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records. He has continually said that this case and other criminal and civil challenges involving him are politically motivated.

Update: 5/11/204, 10:33 p.m.: This story has been updated with more information.