Neil Young May Sue Donald Trump Over Song Usage

Young is sick of hearing "Rockin’ in the Free World" after the president speaks

Neil Young attends a press conference for Farm Aid 34
Neil Young attends a press conference for Farm Aid 34.
Gary Miller/Getty Images for Shock Ink

After previously writing that he has no legal recourse to stop Donald Trump from using his music, Neil Young said he is “reconsidering” the situation and may sue the president.

“I am changing my mind about suing Donald Trump,” Young wrote on his official website on Monday. “I am looking at it again. There is a long history to consider and I originally considered it, deciding not to pursue. I am reconsidering. Imagine what it feels like to hear ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ after this President speaks, like it is his theme song. I did not write it for that.”

In his post, Young also referenced the deployment of federal agents to curb civil unrest in cities like Portland and said Trump “ordered thugs in uniform onto our streets.”

“Trump has no respect for our military,” Young wrote. “They are not to be used on the streets of America against law-abiding citizens for a Political charade orchestrated by a challenged President.”

A Bernie Sanders supporter who has thrown his support behind former Vice President Joe Biden, the 74-year-old rocker is one of several musicians who have complained about the use of their songs at Trump campaign events or issued cease-and-desist letters to the president’s camp.

Prior to this, Young spoke out on Twitter after Trump played some of his songs to supporters who showed up to hear the president speak at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on July 3.

Though he was born in Canada, Young will be voting in the 2020 presidential election after obtaining his U.S. citizenship in January.

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