Neil Young sues Trump PAC over $10,000,000 copyright claim
The rocker seeks to stop the committee from playing his 1989 hit at rallies, arguing it contradicts the song's message about poverty and forgotten people.
By Javier Cabrera ·
Neil Young filed a $10,000,000 copyright lawsuit on Monday against Trump 47 Committee Inc in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The complaint seeks an injunction to halt the committee from publicly performing his 1989 track, "Rockin' in the Free World," at political events.
Young has previously taken legal action against a Trump organization over this same song. In 2020, he sued Donald J Trump for President Inc. That case settled, and the new filing states the prior organization promised it would never use the song without a license and permission from Young again.
The lawsuit cites a specific instance on October 12 in Ohio, where the track played as walk-up music for the president. Young's attorneys claim the song has also been used numerous times at other rallies designed to encourage Republican votes in the upcoming mid-term elections. The suit argues this usage damages Young's reputation by implying he supports Trump in any way, despite his vocal criticism of the administration.
The complaint details the lyrical content of the song to explain the conflict. It describes the track as a blistering anthem that contrasts hollow political promises with the harsh realities faced by the poor, homeless, and forgotten. The lyrics depict a mother discarding her baby, addicts in despair, and garbage piling up, while the chorus offers a savage irony about freedom not shared by all. The suit concludes that the song is the opposite of everything Donald J Trump stands for.
Young’s opposition to the president is well documented. He has criticized Trump in writings on his website and released a protest song in 2025 called "Big Crime." In that track, he sings about not wanting fascist rules, fascist schools, or soldiers walking on the streets. The Trump administration has not yet responded to the new suit.
This legal action occurs as part of a wider pattern over the past 12 months where the Trump presidency has used songs by artists seen as left-leaning in online material. Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and SZA have had their music used to soundtrack ICE propaganda or clips about the administration's strategy in Iran. In August, Taylor Swift had her song "August" removed from a video celebrating the presidency.
Source: The Guardian
