'Cathartic defiance': Singer rages against Trump in expletive-laden festival performance
President Donald J. Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, to the Oval Office of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
"Rage Against the Machine" guitarist and singer-songwriter Tom Morello issued a loud challenge to President Donald Trump during his performance at Boston Calling 2025 on Sunday, giving a shout-out to individuals and institutions recently targeted by the president.
Boston.com reported that Morello expressed solidarity with his alma mater, Harvard University — which was recently blocked by the administration from accepting foreign students — as well as with musician Bruce Springsteen.
Morello's criticism of the president comes against the backdrop of Trump's attacks on two top American musicians. Earlier this month, Trump took aim at music icons Taylor Swift and Springsteen, in a string of posts on Truth Social. Both musicians are vocal critics of the president and have sparred with him in the past.
“Bruce is going after Trump because Bruce, his whole life, he’s been about truth, justice, democracy, equality,” Morello said. “And Trump is mad at him because Bruce draws a bigger audience. F——— that guy.”
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In a post on his social platform Truth Social on May 16, Trump said: "Has anyone noticed that, since I said 'I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,' she’s no longer 'HOT?'"
In a separate post, Trump bashed Springsteen as “Highly Overrated” and “not a talented guy," over his recent statement critical of the president during a concert in London, UK.
As Morello delivered a strong anti-Trump message at his performance Sunday, he warned fans that this may be "the last big event before they throw us all in jail.”
"The atmosphere was one of cathartic defiance. Where you saw a smattering matte black American flag hats and Back the Blue shirts during Friday’s Luke Combs set, fans with 'Nazi Lives Don’t Matter' T-shirts graced the Jumbotron at Morello’s set," the Boston.com report said of the event.
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After briefly recalling how he used to spend hours practicing guitar in his dorm stairwell, Morello praised Harvard for providing a free online course that “covers basic U.S. government, understanding the Constitution, and how to recognize a dictatorship takeover of your country.”
He dedicated “Hold the Line” to his fellow union members and followed it with the “censored” verses of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” urging the audience to pay close attention to the true meaning behind the widely known anthem.
