Neil Young has sued Donald Trump over the use of his classic song “Rockin’ in the Free World” at a recent political rally. It’s the second time Young has taken a Trump campaign organization to court over the 1989 track.
Trump’s campaign used the song without permission in 2020, prompting a lawsuit that was settled after the campaign reportedly agreed not to use it again without a license and Young’s permission. But the song was played at another rally in October 2026, prompting Young to seek $10 million in damages.
Young’s objections to Trump’s use of the song date back to 2015, when it was played at Trump Tower during the announcement of his presidential campaign. Young publicly objected, saying he would not have granted permission for its use in a political campaign. Trump used the song again in 2018, prompting another objection from Young, who said he had asked Trump to stop playing it. The dispute escalated into a copyright lawsuit in 2020, which also involved Young’s song “Devil’s Sidewalk.”
In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, according to The Guardian, Young’s lawyers argued that he had “suffered damage to his reputation and brand as a result of the implication that he supports Donald J Trump in any way.” They also cited the 2020 settlement, under which the campaign reportedly agreed that it “would never again use Rockin’ in the Free World without a license and permission from Young.”
The new lawsuit describes the song as “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,” the filing states.
Young’s lawyers specifically cited the song’s use at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on October 12, adding that it had also been played “numerous times at other rallies designed to encourage Republican votes in the upcoming mid-term elections.”
The lawsuit seeks $10 million in damages and an injunction barring further use of the song at political events without permission. The 2020 settlement involved a different Trump political organization, and the new case names Trump 47 Committee Inc. as the defendant. The committee had not responded to requests for comment at the time of writing.
Young is far from the only musician to object to Trump’s use of their music. Bruce Springsteen has criticized Trump’s politics and the use of his music, while Rihanna sent a cease-and-desist letter in 2018 after Trump’s campaign played her song “Don’t Stop the Music” at a rally. Jack White also took legal action over the use of White Stripes music in a Trump campaign video in 2024.
