President Donald Trump responded to Bruce Springsteen’s recent criticism of his leadership by attacking the music legend’s appearance — and no one should be surprised.

The president took to his Truth Social platform Thursday morning to slam the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer as a “bad” and “very boring singer.” He then set his sights, as he often does, on taking a jab at Springsteen’s appearance, saying he “looks like a dried up prune who has suffered greatly from the work of a really bad plastic surgeon.”

Trump went on and fired up other typical talking points: Springsteen has “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” and the U.S. is now the “hottest” country with Trump as president and with former President Joe Biden, whom Trump called “Sleepy Joe,” out of office.

He even called on his MAGA base to boycott Springsteen’s concerts.

“MAGA SHOULD BOYCOTT HIS OVERPRICED CONCERTS, WHICH SUCK. SAVE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY. AMERICA IS BACK!!!” he wrote.

During his tour opener in Minneapolis on Tuesday, Springsteen, an outspoken critic of Trump, told the crowd: “The America that I love, the America that I’ve written about for 50 years, that’s been a beacon of hope and liberty around the world, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless and treasonous administration.”

Springsteen then called on the crowd to choose “hope over fear” and “democracy over authoritarianism.” Later in the show, he called Trump a snowflake who “can’t handle the truth,” Variety reported. (Watch his tour opener here.)

Trump’s attacks on Springsteen’s looks is nothing new. Not only has the president hurled the “dried up prune” insult at The Boss before, he has a habit of fixating on anyone’s appearance.

The president has a history of commenting on the attractiveness of people, and he also has a pattern of attacking and demeaning others by ridiculing their looks. In November, he called New York Times reporter Katie Rogers “ugly,” and he called Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey “piggy” that same month, to name a few examples.

Monica Cwynar, a licensed clinical social worker with Thriveworks who specializes in trauma and coping skills, said that Trump calling Springsteen a “dried up prune” could be seen as “an attempt to bully Springsteen and diminish his credibility.”

“Trump often makes attacks about people’s appearance rather than engaging with the substance of his criticism,” she told HuffPost.

Cwynar said that when people make appearance-based attacks, it’s generally “evidence of an inability to have a mature discussion or a lack of substantive content.”

“It often reveals insecurity on the part of the individual making such attacks, suggesting they feel threatened by the opinions of others and resort to derogatory comments as a defense mechanism,” she said. “This behavior not only undermines civil society but also reflects negative on the character of those who engage in it.”

And that these types of attacks coming from Trump — a world leader — is concerning.

As Cwynar previously told HuffPost, “When public figures focus on appearance, they reinforce superficial values within society.”

“When it comes from our leaders, the impact has more gravitas, especially when it is delivered from men about women and their appearance,” she said. “This behavior can perpetuate harmful stereotypes, create a culture that prioritizes looks over abilities or character and normalize objectification.”

Panicha McGuire, a mental health therapist, previously emphasized to HuffPost that when leaders attack people’s appearances it “reinforces a culture of dehumanization.”

“It tells us that the most important thing about a person is whether they fit a narrow ideal of beauty or masculinity,” she said. “It also distracts from accountability, policy and real issues by keeping the conversation shallow.”

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