After days of poking and prodding Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for his Canadian birth, Donald Trump is playing Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A” at his rallies, according to The Washington Post.
{mosads}The Republican primary front-runner has questioned whether Cruz, who was born to an American mother and Cuban father in Calgary, is allowed to serve as commander in chief.
“It’s not a settled matter,” Trump said at an Iowa rally last week. “He was born in Canada. And I say to Ted, and as a Republican I say it, because I think it’s very important, you gotta get it straightened out.”
Cruz has maintained that he is eligible to serve as president, pointing to the distinction between naturalized and natural-born citizens.
Although “Born in the U.S.A.” takes a shot at Cruz, the song is an odd choice for a presidential candidate campaigning on pro-America sentiment.
Despite its upbeat tune and seemingly patriotic refrain, Springsteen’s 1984 classic is famously critical of America, depicting a man who fights in the Vietnam War and can’t find a job when he comes home.
Then again, the song fits Trump’s picture of a down-and-out America in need of a political outsider to shake up the establishment.