Neil Young sues Trump again for using, misunderstanding his music

In question is the Trump PAC Trump 47 Committee Inc’s playing of the famously outspoken Young’s 1989 banger “Rockin’ In The Free World” as Trump’s WWE-style walk-up music at his midterm election rallies. Trump’s camp had been previously sued by Young by playing this song (along with hits “Cowgirl In The Sand” and “Like A Hurricane”) at a 2020 rally at Mt. Rushmore, with Young taking particular offense at the location, stating, “I stand in solidarity with the Lakota Sioux & this is not ok with me.” Young dropped the suit once the Trump campaign swore never to use his music again. 

Well, promises (and the rule of law) in Trump world being what they are, Young has once more found himself having to patiently explain that his song—written to mock George H.W. Bush-era conservatism—is not what 2026 conservatives think it is. (Ask Bruce Springsteen about right-wingers only listening to choruses.) In the legal filing, Young’s lawyers call his song, “a blistering anthem that contrasts the hollow promises of American political rhetoric with the harsh realities faced by the poor, homeless and forgotten. The lyrics paint vivid street-level portraits —a mother discarding her baby, addicts lost in despair, garbage piling in the shadows of prosperity—while the repeated chorus delivers a savage irony, celebrating freedom that clearly isn’t shared by all. In short, the song is the opposite of everything that Donald J Trump stands for.”

Young, clearly having learned what Trump’s pinky swears are worth, is seeking $10 million in damages.