Neil Young sues Trump over use of his song during rally

Neil Young is suing President Donald Trump’s campaign for $10 million, accusing it of using his song “Rockin’ in the Free World” at a recent rally in Youngstown, Ohio, despite a previous settlement barring the unauthorized use of the track.The 80-year-old singer filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Trump’s campaign committee, alleging that it played the 1989 rock anthem without obtaining a license or Young’s permission.The complaint describes the song as a “blistering anthem” that contrasts the promises of U.S. political rhetoric with the struggles of poor and marginalized people. Its lyrics depict homelessness, addiction, and social decay against a backdrop of national prosperity. “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,” the complaint states.The song, the lawsuit argues, is “the opposite of everything that Donald J. Trump stands for.”Young alleged that Trump and his campaign knew a license was required to play the song at political rallies and that the singer would not grant permission.The lawsuit is not Young’s first legal challenge over Trump’s use of his music. In 2020, Young sued Donald J. Trump For President Inc., a separate corporation associated with Trump’s reelection campaign, over the unauthorized use of “Rockin’ in the Free World” and another song at campaign events.According to the latest complaint, Trump’s 2020 campaign “asserted no defense and immediately settled shortly after it was served,” agreeing not to use “Rockin’ in the Free World” again without a license and Young’s permission.Young is now seeking $10 million in damages, including for reputational harm, alleging that the campaign’s use of the song at the Ohio rally violated that agreement.The musician has long been an outspoken critic of Trump. During the president’s first term, Young publicly called on him to stop using his music, writing that Trump had ignored his request to cease and desist.“I asked him then, in a widely shared, public letter to cease and desist,” Young wrote in 2018. “However, he chose not to listen to my request.”2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS, RESULTS, AND ANALYSISYoung also accused Trump of spreading “constant lies,” engaging in petty name-calling and bullying, and promoting “dangerous, vilifying and hateful rhetoric.”In 2025, Young released “Big Crime,” a protest song criticizing the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard in Washington.