Journey's Jonathan Cain Slams Bruce Springsteen Over Trump Comments
WHO:
HuffPost - Jonathan Cain, longtime Journey keyboardist, and Bruce Springsteen, rock icon.
Ultimate Classic Rock - Jonathan Cain, whose wife, Paula White-Cain, is a senior adviser in the White House Faith Office.
WHAT:
HuffPost - Jonathan Cain stated during a podcast interview, “Honestly, shut up, Bruce,” in reference to Bruce Springsteen's political comments about Trump.
Ultimate Classic Rock - Cain criticized Springsteen's song "Born in the USA," suggesting it is “a kind of a diss to our country.”
Variety - Cain described Springsteen as “an annoying, bitter old man” and expressed that he used to like him but now finds him bothersome.
HuffPost - Jonathan Cain criticized Bruce Springsteen for his political comments regarding Trump, stating, “Guys like Bruce Springsteen should shut up, you know.”
Ultimate Classic Rock - Cain described Springsteen as “an annoying, bitter old man” and suggested that politics and music should not mix.
Ultimate Classic Rock - Cain is releasing a patriotic song titled "The Winds of Freedom: A Salute To America."
WHERE:
HuffPost - Cain performed at Mar-a-Lago in 2022 and visited Trump at the White House in 2017.
HuffPost - Springsteen performed at the dedication of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
WHEN:
HuffPost - Springsteen finished a tour in response to President Trump’s second term in office.
Ultimate Classic Rock - Cain's current tour with Journey is titled the Final Frontier tour, with dates scheduled through the end of November.
WHY:
HuffPost - Cain believes that Springsteen's political comments detract from his music and that he should keep politics out of his performances.
Ultimate Classic Rock - Cain expressed that he is a “diehard conservative” and felt that he could no longer align with the Democratic Party after observing Barack Obama's policies.
HOW:
Ultimate Classic Rock - Cain emphasized that he tries to keep politics out of his music, stating, “I don’t preach it on stage. I don’t spend 10 minutes talking about it.”
HuffPost - Cain stated he does not preach his political beliefs on stage and tries to keep politics out of his music.
(UPDATED July 20, 2026 19:28 UTC)
In a recent podcast interview, Jonathan Cain took aim at Bruce Springsteen, telling him to "shut up" in response to Springsteen's political comments about Trump. Cain also criticized Springsteen's iconic song "Born in the USA," calling it “a kind of a diss to our country,” and labeled him as “an annoying, bitter old man.” Emphasizing his own approach to music, Cain stated that he prefers to keep politics out of his performances, insisting, “I don’t preach it on stage. I don’t spend 10 minutes talking about it.”
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(UPDATED July 20, 2026 13:36 UTC)
Jonathan Cain, the longtime keyboardist for Journey, has publicly criticized rock icon Bruce Springsteen for his political comments regarding Trump, saying, “Guys like Bruce Springsteen should shut up.” Cain described Springsteen as “an annoying, bitter old man” and emphasized that politics and music should remain separate, while he himself is preparing to release a patriotic song titled "The Winds of Freedom: A Salute To America." Currently on his Final Frontier tour with Journey, which runs through the end of November, Cain believes that Springsteen's political remarks detract from his music and insists he does not preach his own political beliefs on stage.