Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain has criticised Bruce Springsteen for his political outspokenness, calling him "an annoying, bitter old man" who "should shut up" about politics. Cain, a self-described "diehard conservative" married to Paula White-Cain, a senior White House adviser to Donald Trump, made the comments in an interview with The Complete Disaster Network. The remarks add to an ongoing public feud between Springsteen and Trump, whose supporters have long clashed with the musician over his criticism of the president.

Cain, who is releasing a patriotic song titled "The Winds Of Freedom: A Salute To America" for the USA's 250th anniversary, said he tries to keep politics out of his own music and argued that artists should focus on unifying audiences rather than voicing political opinions. He also took aim at actor Robert De Niro and dismissed Springsteen's "Born In The USA" as "a diss" to the country, despite Springsteen describing the track as a protest song about a forgotten Vietnam veteran. The row follows Springsteen's June 2025 comments calling Trump "treasonous" and a "moron", to which Trump responded with insults and calls for a boycott of Springsteen's music.