Bruce Springsteen brands himself a 'patriot' for public attacks of Donald Trump as he reignites feud

"I believe in critical patriotism," the veteran rocker stated. "I believe that's the definition of a patriot."

Expanding on his point further, he claimed: "That you love your country so much that you are willing to look at it clearly, recognise its faults, encourage it to be a better place, and believe that you carry in your heart the country that is waiting."

The 76-year-old musician has positioned himself as one of the most vocally political artists of the Trump era, consistently using both his platform and performances to challenge the current administration.

The Boss recently concluded his Land of Hope and Dreams tour, a run of shows laden with protest material and pointed attacks on the White House.

At the tour's opening night in late March, mr Springsteen directed sharp criticism at both the President and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

"She prosecutes our president's perceived enemies, covers up for his misdeeds and protects his powerful friends," he told the audience regarding Ms Bondi.

He then turned his attention to Trump directly: "You want to talk about snowflakes? We have a president who can't handle the truth."

During the Minnesota concert, Mr Springsteen declared that Americans are "living through some very dark times" and urged his audience to choose "hope over fear, democracy over authoritarianism, the rule of law over lawlessness."

Trump has responded to Mr Springsteen's ongoing criticism with characteristic vitriol, taking to Truth Social to demand his supporters boycott the musician's work.

"Bad, and very boring singer, Bruce Springsteen, who looks like a dried up prune who has suffered greatly from the work of a really bad plastic surgeon, has long had a horrible and incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, sometimes referred to as TDS," the President wrote.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• The Odyssey's Helen of Troy actress criticises Greek poet Homer over female representation
• Angie Best, 73, shares candid health update as she reveals upcoming surgery amid cancer battle
• Scott Mills' husband takes apparent swipe at BBC as Sara Cox launches Radio 2 Breakfast Show

Trump continued his attack by calling Mr Springsteen "a total loser who spews hate against a President who won a Landslide Election, including the popular vote, all Seven Swing States, and 86 percent of the Counties across America."

Despite the animosity between the two, Mr Springsteen did offer a more measured assessment of America's future during the PBS interview, whilst branding the current administration a "ship of fools."

"I think we're going through a very, very difficult period, but I tend to remain realistically optimistic," he reflected.

"That the country will pull out of it and something new will be born from it that is good."

The singer also discussed his recent protest track "Streets of Minneapolis," written in response to Ice raids that resulted in civilian deaths in Minnesota.

Mr Springsteen admitted he was "very angry" when composing the song, but credited Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello with encouraging him to be direct: "Bruce, nuance is great, but sometimes you've gotta kick 'em in the teeth."