Fact Check: Did Donald Trump say Melania and Barron were 'not impressed' by Bruce Springsteen's gig?

WASHINGTON, DC: A screenshot claiming to show a post by President-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform, in which he allegedly criticized Bruce Springsteen’s performance, has been circulating online.

The post, which was shared by an X (formerly Twitter) user on December 9, suggested that Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, and their son, Barron Trump, were "not impressed" after attending a concert of the famed musician.

The purported post stated, "Recently, Melania took Baron [sic], A GREAT GUITARIST, to see overrated, communist singer, Bruce Springstern [sic]. NOT IMPRESSED!!!"

The X post had garnered over 430,000 views at the time of filing this report.

Rumors of Donald Trump criticizing Bruce Springsteen debunked

However, the claim is not authentic. There is no evidence that Donald Trump criticized Bruce Springsteen on his Truth Social platform. Furthermore, no credible news outlets reported the president-elect made such remarks against Springsteen online.

Fact-checking organization, Snopes, has confirmed that the screenshot is likely fabricated or edited to spread misinformation.

The most notable issue is the presence of typos, particularly the misspelling of Springsteen’s name as "Springstern" and "Barron" Trump as "Baron," which is inconsistent with the style of writing typically found in Trump’s authentic social media posts.

Additionally, the phrase "A GREAT GUITARIST" seems out of place and is not a language style Trump usually uses when referring to Melania.

A review of Trump’s actual Truth Social account shows no record of such a post. His account remains active with a history of statements, many of which align with his well-known political stances and personal views.

As of now, there has been no official communication from Trump’s team or from the Truth Social platform that confirms the existence of this post.

Real tension remains between Donald Trump and Bruce Springsteen despite fake post

Even though the Truth Social post was fake, there is still real tension between Bruce Springsteen and Donald Trump. For example, at a rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, in May 2024, Trump made fun of the singer and his fame by claiming that he had "a much bigger crowd than Bruce Springsteen."

For his part, Springsteen has been equally outspoken about his criticism of Trump, denouncing the president-elect's polarizing leadership and referring to him as a "American tyrant" at a rally in October 2024 in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris, who was then running for president.