A founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band is pushing back on the rock star's recent political rhetoric, saying respect for the presidency should come first, even as he defends Springsteen's right to speak out.
Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez, speaking to the New York Post, said he takes a very different approach to politics in music than his former bandmate.
"My band, whatever we think, we don't go there in our music," said Lopez, 77, who now plays with The Wonderful Winos after decades performing with about 30 groups.
Springsteen, by contrast, has been openly critical of President Donald Trump on his current "Land of Hope and Dreams" tour, calling the White House a "corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless, and treasonous administration" and referring to Trump as "our wannabe king."
Lopez told the Post he doesn't object to Springsteen speaking his mind but said the tone of national politics has become difficult to navigate.
"I am not against what Bruce is saying now," he said. "It's so divided, the political part. It's a tough one on me."
Reflecting on how his own views have changed over time, he added, "Maybe when I was 20, I was a little more extreme, but I'm 77 now, so the extremities are gone."
Lopez said, for him, it comes down to basic respect.
"You gotta have respect for the president. Trump is the president of the United States — everyone should have respect for him," he told the Post.
"He is the president of the United States. And if I was standing there talking to him, I would have mucho respect for the man," he said, adding, "I wouldn't talk to him about anything that's going on" politically.
Lopez, who said he has voted Republican in races ranging from City Council to Congress, also recalled meeting Trump years ago at his Bedminster, N.J., golf course while working as a caddie.
"He was very nice to me. He was very inquisitive and introduced me to Melania," Lopez said.
As he was leaving, he said Trump made a request: "Tell Bruce I'm his biggest fan."
Springsteen and Trump have been locked in an ongoing feud, with Trump writing earlier this month on Truth Social that the singer has "long had a horrible and incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome."
In the same post, Trump added, "The guy is a total loser who spews hate against a President who won a Landslide Election, including the popular vote, all Seven Swing States, and 86% of the Counties across America," and has also called for a boycott of the musician.
Despite the political crossfire, Lopez said his relationship with Springsteen remains unchanged.
"If he wants me to do something, he'll call me," he said. "Sometimes, it's just because he hasn't seen me for a while. And he'll call me and say. 'Hey, come around here,'" he recalled, noting that other calls come with more difficult news as time goes on.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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