Bruce Springsteen's guitarist goes on hateful rant against Republicans on Easter Sunday: 'Exterminate these cockroaches once and for all'

At least one member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band had a very uneasy Easter Sunday this year. That evening, seasoned guitarist Steven Van Zandt unleashed several vulgar tweets, blaming Republicans for the mass shooting of Christians at a Nashville elementary school and imagining that they will someday be exterminated like "cockroaches."

Van Zandt, the 72-year-old guitarist who joined Springsteen's group nearly 50 years ago, began his tirade by excoriating those who respect the Second Amendment. Van Zandt, who elsewhere referred to himself as a "peace loving hippie," called such people "Republican White Supremicist scumbag cowards and pussies that need guns to feel like real men," according to reports.

He then claimed that Republicans who support the right to self-defense will likely die a violent death at the hands of future generations. "Gen Z, Gen Y, Gen X will unite and exterminate these cockroaches once and for all," he reportedly wrote on Twitter.

Other Twitter users swiftly condemned Van Zandt's rhetoric, prompting him to delete the tweet. But after he deleted that tweet, he issued yet another anti-Republican screed, calling his critics "Foxsucking scumbag Russian bots and MAGOTT cockroaches" who "take away ... women's rights," prevent "Black people from voting," "harass" trans people, and "shoot ... kids."

"[D]o what Republicans do best and get the f*** outta my feed!" he demanded before deleting that post as well.

On Tuesday, he claimed that he never called for violence against Republicans and that he "clearly" meant he wanted to "exterminate" Republicans "at the ballot box," not in real life.

A brief scroll through Van Zandt's Twitter feed reveals that he spends much of his time these days sidling up with far-left Democrats and berating Republicans and their policies as evil.

"I’m the Love Man. I’m a peace loving ‘60s hippie. I’ve got nothing but love for the world!" he wrote on Friday.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!