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Neil Young Sues Trump Again Over 'Rockin' in the Free World'
· Confirmed
In Short: Neil Young filed a lawsuit against Trump’s political action committee, Trump 47 Committee Inc., on Monday, October 26, for copyright infringement over the use of his song 'Rockin’ in the Free World' at a recent political rally.
The lawsuit seeks $10 million in damages and an injunction against further public performance of the song for political purposes.
Young previously sued Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign over the same issue, and the case was resolved after the campaign promised not to use the song again without a license.
The song 'Rockin’ in the Free World' contrasts the hollow promises of American political rhetoric with the harsh realities faced by the poor, homeless, and forgotten.
Young’s Archives website features a column by writer Robert Reich titled 'The Tragic Death of the Republican Party,' and an unsigned editorial that calls Trump the most corrupt president in U.S. history.
Young is not the only artist to challenge Trump for using their music at rallies. Other musicians, such as the estates of Isaac Hayes and The White Stripes, have also initiated lawsuits over Trump’s use of their songs.
Trump used 'Rockin’ in the Free World' when he launched his first presidential campaign at Trump Tower in June 2015, prompting Young to publicly object.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment on the lawsuit Monday.
Young’s latest filing argues that the song itself makes for an especially strange fit with Trump, given its lyrics that paint vivid street-level portraits of despair and inequality.
What this adds
Neil Young's lawsuit is the second time he has sued over Trump's use of 'Rockin’ in the Free World.' The previous case was resolved after the campaign promised not to use the song again without a license.
Background
Neil Young has filed a $10 million lawsuit against Trump's political action committee for using his song 'Rockin' in the Free World' without permission.
What's confirmed
- The White House did not immediately return a request for comment on the lawsuit Monday.
- According to the new complaint, that case was resolved after the campaign promised not to use “Rockin’ in the Free World” again without a license.
- Young referenced that earlier suit in the new filing, stating Monday that Trump’s team “asserted no defense and immediately settled shortly after it was served, promising that it would never again use ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ without a license and permission from Young.” Young is one of the entertainment industry’s most-fervent critics of the Trump administration.
What's still developing
- Scores of musicians have gone public with their distaste for the practice ever since Trump entered politics in 2016, and Young isn’t the only one who’s sued.
- In 2024, both The White Stripes and the estate of Isaac Hayes initiated lawsuits over Trump’s use of the songs “Seven Nation Army” and “Hold On, I’m Coming.” The White Stripes suit was quickly dropped, and the Hayes estate settled this year.
- Even then, Trump’s campaign subsequently said it would stop using the song.
- On Sunday, Nicki Minaj joined him at a campaign rally in Michigan, where he praised her “beautiful ass” and encouraged her to stand up so the crowd could see.
- Neil Young is suing Donald Trump ‘s political action coalition the Trump 47 Coalition over the president’s use of “Rockin’ in the Free World” at a recent political rally, marking the second time Young has sued over Trump’s use of the song over the past few years.
- This isn’t Young’s first time suing over the president’s use of “Rockin’ in the Free World,” in particular, with Young taking similar legal action back in 2020 against another Trump group, Donald J.
- Last year, Young, a dual citizen of America and Canada, had voiced worry that Trump would bar him from returning to the country while he was on his European tour.
- 12, although it notes that the recording has also been played “numerous times at other rallies designed to encourage Republican votes in the upcoming mid-term elections.” It asks for an injunction against further public performance for political purposes as well as the $10 million in damages for the existing use.
- It specifically cites the playing of the song at the president’s rally in Youngstown, Ohio on Oct.
- Tom Morello’s Power to the People Festival featured an evening’s worth of special performances and surprise collaborations, including Bruce Springteen covering Neil Young ’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” backed by Dave Grohl, Dave Matthews, and Morello.
- Bruce Springsteen sang Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom” with Joan Baez and performed other songs such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” and Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” with others at the Tom Morello-organized Power to the People Festival at The Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland (about 40 miles from Washington, D.C.), Oct. 3.
- A decade-old dispute has landed back in court Neil Young has spent more than a decade telling Donald Trump to stop playing “Rockin’ in the Free World.” Now, he says the president and his political operation once again ignored a legal agreement to do exactly that.