In November 2024, there was an online rumor that singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen and film producer Robert De Niro had announced their departure from the United States after President-elect Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election.
The Patriots Network Facebook page, for instance, saved a meme on November 17, 2024, that featured a photograph of Springsteen and the words, “Bruce Springsteen is Leaving the US Alongwith [sic] Robert De Niro ‘No Respect For Us Here.'” At the time of writing, the post has generated about 6,300 comments and 16,000 replies.
An moderator of the page included a link to an article (archived) that offered more information about the assertion in a remark. The article was published on SpaceXMania.com, a website connected to the page, and was dated November 18.
Additionally, on November 17, the Facebook group SpaceX Fanclub shared (archived) a meme that stated, “Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro Say Goodbye to the U.S, ‘No Respect Here.'” and featured a collage of photographs of Springsteen and De Niro. There were almost 2,700 comments and 5,000 reactions to that post.
In a comment on the post, a SpaceX Fanclub page administrator provided a link to an article on the associated website, Esspots.com (archived). That article, which was also published on November 18 and contained many of the same data as the one on SpaceXMania.com, was not exactly the same.
Below is a collage that displays the two posts side by side.
The rumor appeared to be taken as an accurate account of actual occurrences by some readers. In response to the Patriots Network post, for instance, one Facebook user wrote: “The only request I have is that they have their citizenship canceled and they can never live in America again.” Another Facebook user commented, “Like they deserve respect,” in response to the SpaceX Fanclub post. Farewell. Avoid being struck by the door as you leave.
But there was no solid proof that either celebrity had announced anything of the sort.
Instead, the Patriots Network and SpaceX Fanclub—Facebook accounts that, along with their linked websites SpaceXMania.com and Esspots.com, are part of a network that characterizes its content as satirical in nature—were the source of the story that Springsteen and De Niro were fleeing the nation. According to the Patriots Network’s information section:
A network of parodies and satire connected to SpacexMania.com is called the Patriots Network.
Likewise, the information part of SpaceX Fanclub stated:
Nothing on this page is authentic; we only post SATIRE.
Similarly, the stories on SpaceXMania.com and Esspots.com ended with disclaimers that read:
NOTE: This is not true; it is satire.
Both Springsteen and De Niro openly endorsed Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, and the fictitious tale gained traction weeks after Trump’s victory in the 2024 election.
In the past, both celebrities have discussed leaving the nation due to political reasons. Springsteen hinted to a reporter in 2020 that if Trump won reelection, he could relocate to Australia. (Springsteen subsequently explained that he meant the remark to be humorous.) Likewise, when a reporter asked De Niro in 2016 if he would leave the United States if Trump were elected president, the movie producer said, “That’s a good question — I don’t know.”
There was no proof, though, that Springsteen or De Niro had said anything similar about the 2024 election.
In the past, the SpaceX Fanclub and Patriots Network Facebook pages and related websites have made up tales to get likes and comments.
Similar satirical allegations that Taylor Swift and Megan Rapinoe have threatened to depart the United States due to the outcome of the 2024 election have been addressed by Snopes.
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