A rumor that singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen and film producer Robert De Niro said they were leaving the U.S. following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election circulated online in November 2024.

For example, on Nov. 17, 2024, the Facebook page The Patriots Network posted (archived) a meme featuring an image of Springsteen with text reading: “Bruce Springsteen is Leaving the US Alongwith [sic] Robert De Niro ‘No Respect For Us Here.'” That post had received around 16,000 reactions and 6,300 comments at the time of this writing.

In a comment, an administrator for the page linked to an article (archived) providing further details about the claim. The article was dated Nov. 18 and appeared on SpaceXMania.com, a website affiliated with the page.

Also on Nov. 17, the Facebook page SpaceX Fanclub posted (archived) a meme consisting of a collage of images of both Springsteen and De Niro, with text reading: “Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro Say Goodbye to the U.S, ‘No Respect Here.'” That post had received around 5,000 reactions and 2,700 comments.

An administrator for the SpaceX Fanclub page left a comment on the post linking to an article on the affiliated website Esspots.com (archived). That article, though not identical to the SpaceXMania.com one, was also dated Nov. 18 and included many of the same details.

Some readers seemed to interpret the rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events. For example, one Facebook user responded to the Patriots Network post by writing: “The only request I have is that they have their citizenship canceled and they can never live in America again.” In response to the SpaceX Fanclub post, a different Facebook user wrote: “Like they deserve respect. Good bye. Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.”