Neil Young sues Trump group again over rally music
The musician seeks $10 million in damages, claiming his 1989 song was used without permission at recent midterm events.
By Carlos Rivera ·
Neil Young is asking a federal judge to award him $10 million for copyright infringement. He filed the lawsuit on Monday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The suit targets the Trump 47 Committee Inc, the political action committee associated with President Donald Trump.
Young alleges the committee used his 1989 song Rockin’ in the Free World as walk-up music at recent midterm election rallies. He claims this is the second time he has sued a Trump organization over the same track. In 2020, he filed a suit against Donald J Trump for President Inc. That case settled, with the former campaign promising not to use the song without a license or permission from Young.
The new complaint argues that the continued use of the song damaged Young’s reputation. It states that because Young is a vocal critic of the president, the unlicensed use implied he supported Trump. The suit describes the song as a blistering anthem that contrasts hollow political promises with the realities faced by the poor and homeless. It notes the lyrics depict a mother discarding her baby and addicts lost in despair. The filing calls the song the opposite of everything Trump stands for.
Young’s lawyers point to a specific instance where the song played at a rally in Ohio on October 12. They state it has been played numerous times at other rallies designed to encourage Republican votes in the upcoming midterms. Along with the $10 million in damages, Young seeks an injunction to stop further public performances of the track.
Young has consistently positioned himself against the administration. He has criticized the president on his website and released a protest song called Big Crime in 2025. In that track, he sings about getting fascists out and cleaning the White House. The Trump presidency has recently increased its use of left-wing musicians' songs for political content. In the past year, the administration used tracks by Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and SZA for ICE propaganda or clips about its strategy in Iran. In August, Taylor Swift had her song August removed from a video celebrating the presidency.
Trump’s administration has not yet responded to the new lawsuit. The case is now pending before the federal court in Virginia.
Source: The Guardian
