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Mick Jagger Has Some Sage Advice For Trump-Hater Springsteen

Zero Rss
1 month ago
Mick Jagger Has Some Sage Advice For Trump-Hater Springsteen

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News,

Mick Jagger is pushing back against the trend of rock stars turning stages into campaign rallies, offering a refreshing contrast to Bruce Springsteen's repeated anti-Trump outbursts.

In a recent New York Times podcast interview, Jagger made his position crystal clear. While contrasting his approach with Springsteen's, he stated: "My job in the live music world is for those people that come to have the best time ... And you don't want to lecture them."

Mick Jagger Says It's Not His Job to Lecture Rolling Stones' Fans on Politics

NYT: "Bruce Springsteen clearly sees his job as engaging in a meaningful back and forth."

MICK JAGGER: "My job in the live music world is for those people that come to have the best time ... And you... pic.twitter.com/PmNaTgLjs7

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) July 11, 2026

This comes as Springsteen has made a habit of injecting leftist political commentary into his shows, often targeting President Trump and his administration.

From calling Trump "treasonous and corrupt" during his European tour to labeling America itself a "reckless, unpredictable, predatory, untrustworthy, rogue nation" in a DC concert, the so called Boss has turned performances into platforms for activism.

Grammy-winning musician Bruce Springsteen began his European tour by calling President Donald Trump a "treasonous and corrupt" leader.

Springsteen urged the crowd to rise up, speak out against authoritarianism, and "let freedom ring."

Springsteen has supported every Democratic... pic.twitter.com/eSRpQuFGQl

— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) May 15, 2025

Bruce Springsteen goes on anti-Trump tirade mid-concert.

pic.twitter.com/6LKM0MuZXg

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 15, 2025

Leftist activist Bruce Springsteen went on an unhinged anti-Trump rant during his recent DC concert, calling America a "reckless, unpredictable, predatory, untrustworthy, rogue nation." pic.twitter.com/wkolcjuh5S

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 29, 2026

Springsteen has relied on a teleprompter for his anti-Trump and anti-billionaire rants, scripting attacks on the "richest men in America" and claims about a president who "cannot handle the truth."

Billionaire Bruce Springsteen uses a teleprompter to read a script bashing Trump and billionaires.

"The richest men in America have abandoned the world's poorest children to death and disease...We have a President who cannot handle the truth." pic.twitter.com/VJPm443zst

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 26, 2026

His latest efforts include an angry 'look at my serious playing face' anti-ICE music video titled "Streets Of Minneapolis," railing against the Trump administration.

JUST IN: Singer Bruce Springsteen releases angry, highly political new anti-ICE music video titled "Streets Of Minneapolis," which was uploaded to YouTube.

Springsteen raged against the Trump administration and called some out by name in the song.

The Hollywood clown... pic.twitter.com/wRGlqRccU9

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 29, 2026

Trump has continually clapped back at Springsteen's criticisms.

Trump goes off on Bruce Springsteen: pic.twitter.com/CQurpihfvZ

— johnny maga (@johnnymaga) April 2, 2026

Never forget that Springsteen was among those pushing strict COVID-era restrictions, endorsing concerts limited to the fully masked and vaccinated.

@springsteen is a pedantic tool of govt oppression pic.twitter.com/7k90sMYXZg

— David Dougherty (@Nahanchi7068) July 11, 2026

Fans and commentators have taken notice of Jagger's stance, with many applauding the decision to prioritize the audience's enjoyment over boring lefty sermons.

He gets it. pic.twitter.com/nQFv6sAqyL

— Dennis Michels (@lonecavalryman) July 11, 2026

Springsteen is not engaging in a meaningful back and forth, he's engaging in lies and propaganda.

— Matt Marsden (@matt_marsden123) July 12, 2026

Jagger's been around the block enough times to know how that sort of thing plays out. He's witnessed first hand what happens when musicians lose themselves in political messaging. Good on him for not stepping in it.

— ConquestBarbie (@DParadisio43137) July 12, 2026

Too bad more musicians and actors don't heed Jagger's advice. I have zero interest in supporting any entertainment personality who thinks they have some moral high ground obligation to tell me who I can support politically. It's none of their GD business.

— Sherry Kerdman (@sherry_kerdman) July 11, 2026

Mick knows. I was at a private event where U2 played and the entire show they used the monitors and interstitial comments to tell me to give all my money to Democrats and eradicate the evil that is Trump. Fuck them. pic.twitter.com/5WEhW5pcpU

— Todd Ensz (@EnszTodd) July 11, 2026

Jagger's comments strike a chord in an era where many entertainers seem more focused on pushing ideology than delivering the escapist joy fans pay for.

While Springsteen sees his role as political engagement, Jagger understands that most concertgoers want to rock out, not endure lectures - especially from multimillionaire performers far removed from everyday struggles.

This divide highlights a broader fatigue with celebrities who lecture from their bubbles while ignoring their own inconsistencies. America First means putting fans and freedom first, not turning every stage into a partisan soapbox. Jagger gets it. More should follow.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Tyler Durden Mon, 07/13/2026 - 14:45
Tyler Durden

The Absurdity Of The Hunter Biden Defamation Case

Zero Rss
1 month ago
The Absurdity Of The Hunter Biden Defamation Case

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

I have taught torts, including defamation for over 30 years, but I have never seen the like of the Hunter Biden defamation case.

The defendant made defamatory statements and then just refused to appear. That led to an equally bizarre $1.7 million award by U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson of the Central District of California to Biden, consisting of just $1 in nominal damages and the rest in punitive damages.

Here is the most interesting line of the opinion: “the damage to Plaintiff’s reputation is difficult to calculate.”

It may be the single greatest understatement in the history of judicial opinions.

However, the court also noted “Plaintiff does not seek actual damages above a nominal amount.”

That means that Hunter Biden’s counsel, in a default case, elected not to argue for compensatory damages due to loss of reputation. Why would he do that?

It might be that he has little reputation to lose and that opening up that part of the case was fraught with perils.  However, it also created a potential major appellate issue. His counsel was making it clear that they were litigating purely for punitives.

For Hunter Biden, this is a much-needed windfall. His art sales notably collapsed with the value of currying favor to the Bidens. He is reportedly being pursued by creditors, including former counsel.

The question is whether the award will stand.

For many critics, Hunter Biden is virtually ‘libel proof” as an individual who has no reputation to lose. However, as we have previously discussed, that status is reserved for the most reviled personalities who cannot be defamed due to the lack of any positive reputation.

Judge Wilson, a Reagan appointee, admits in his opinion that determining reputational harm to someone like Biden is difficult to do and further recognizes the argument that “prior tarnishing of Plaintiff’s reputation may reduce the reprehensibility of Defendant’s conduct.”

The case involves a claim by former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne that Biden took part in an $800 million bribery scheme involving Iran and failed to defend his claims in court.

Hunter Biden has long been accused of influence peddling that generated millions for him and his family. I have been one of his longest critics as part of a corrupt family enterprise.

However, this claim was not one of those that his critics, and Congress, focused on during the Biden years. There is no evidence that he took a bribe or payment in a quid pro quo for releasing the money to Iran.

The lawsuit was part of a flurry of such actions brought against Biden’s critics. Most were later dismissed, but played a part in the scorched-earth campaign of Biden. I was even threatened with such an action after criticizing his counsel and financial backer, Kevin Morris.

As Biden dropped the other lawsuits, this one continued to be litigated. It was an easy kill. Byrne simply did not defend himself and defaulted. That left the matter to Judge Wilson, who was clearly irate.

The opinion recounts an extraordinary pile-up as Byrne sought to replace lawyers:

“Defendant initially attempted to replace Mr. Murphy with three new lawyers: Eric Neff, Tom Yu, and Stefanie Lynn Lambert Junttila. ECF Nos. 290, 291, 292. Ms. Lambert was not a member of the California Bar, and her application to appear pro hac vice was denied2 due to her recent history of unethical conduct, which gave the Court reason to doubt she would abide by the Court’s rules and practices. ECF No. 295. When Defendant learned that Ms. Lambert was not qualified to represent him in this case, Defendant also instructed Mr. Neff and Mr. Yu to remove themselves.

Moreover, Defendant himself, now unrepresented, still failed to appear at trial. Accordingly, the Court issued an order to show cause why it should not enter default judgment against Defendant and ordered the parties to return the following day. At that hearing, on July 30, 2025, Defendant again failed to appear. Mr. Yu, who was not authorized to represent Defendant at trial, argued on Defendant’s behalf for a continuance, in lieu of default judgment.”

The defendant would miss a series of filing and appearance dates, including orders that he appear in person.

Wilson, 85, ruled in his opinion that Byrne acted with “intentional misrepresentation” and “conscious disregard” for Hunter’s rights. Making things worse, Byrne was found to have continued making the false claims after the lawsuit, and said Byrne continued to amplify the false allegations even after Hunter filed the lawsuit against him.

Accordingly, the court found that the “defamation went far beyond mere negligence,” and that Byrne actively sought to spread the false claim on social media and to make the story go viral.

The problem is that the actual compensatory damages are rather to gauge for a plaintiff who was found by Congress to have actively sought to use his influence or access to his father to shake down foreign figures and businesses.

In these well-documented dealings, there were gifts such as diamonds, lavish expense accounts, and a sports car, in addition to massive payments that Hunter claimed were “loans.” There are messages like the one to a Chinese businessman, openly threatening Joe Biden’s displeasure if money is not sent to them immediately. In the WhatsApp message, Hunter stated:

“I am sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight. And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the Chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.”

So, accusing Hunter Biden of influence peddling would hardly seem a material blow to his reputation.

Wilson awarded just $1 in nominal damages to Biden but then ordered $1.7 million in punitive damages. Byrne was also ordered to pay nearly $35,000 in previously imposed court sanctions within two weeks or face an additional $1,000 penalty for each day payment is delayed after the deadline.

That 1:1,700,000 ratio is a bit startling. The general rule is that a ratio of greater than 1:10 in compensatory to punitive damages can raise serious constitutional concerns. What makes this case different is the contempt and default elements.

In 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a case, BMW of North America v. Gore, striking down a punitive damage award. The case involved the practice of the company to repair and repaint cars damaged in transit without telling the customers. The jury in the original trial awarded $4,000 in compensatory damages for the lost value to the car in not having a factory paint job and other damage; it then imposed $4 million in punitive damages for the company’s dishonesty.

The Court stated three factors in crafting punitive awards: (1) the degree of reprehensibility of the nondisclosure; (2) the disparity between the harm or potential harm suffered by plaintiff and the punitive damages award; (3) and the difference between this remedy and the civil penalties authorized or imposed in comparable cases.

Even though the Alabama Supreme Court previously reduced the punitive award by half, the U.S. Supreme Court still found that the award violated the Due Process Clause as “grossly excessive.”

The fact that this case involves nominal damages may allowed for greater leeway in the ratio. See Arizona v. ASARCO LLC, 773 F.3d 1050, 1058 (9th Cir. 2014). That is clearly a critical part of the decision of counsel to ask for only nominal damages while litigating for punitive damages. However, this ratio is astronomical.

Judge Wilson addresses BMW v. Gore but effectively untethers the ratio analysis from this case, precisely what Biden’s counsel had hoped in seeking only nominal damages. It is an approach that would effectively gut BMW v Gore. Any litigants with a bad reputation or insufficient reputational harm could simply ask for nominal damages and then ask for the moon in punitive damages.

However, it gets weirder. I was curious how, without any record on harm, the Court could come up with $1.7 million. It turns out that the Court used the damages awarded by a Canadian court against Byrne in a similar defamation case. That case in a foreign jurisdiction awarded $1.134 million. Wilson simply blithely declares that, since Byrne continues such conduct, “a $1.134 million award would be inadequate to deter this particular Defendant. The Court therefore calculates a punitive damages award of $1.7 million, approximately 50% greater than the total judgment in the prior case.”

That is it. The court simply used the damage award in a foreign torts case and elected to increase it by 50%.  However, that earlier judgment only included $250,000 in punitive damages.

I think that the court is dead wrong on the punitive damages analysis. The only question is whether the extent of Byrne’s contempt and default will work to quiet the concerns of appellate judges.

It is a case worthy of appeal.

It is a fascinating car wreck of a case with a scandal-plagued plaintiff, a defaulting plaintiff, the use of a foreign judgment as the basis for a damages award, and a 1:1,700,000 ratio in damages. We will be watching if an appeal is filed by Byrne.

Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the New York Times best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”

Tyler Durden Mon, 07/13/2026 - 14:05
Tyler Durden

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