Neil Young sues Trump committee for 10 million dollars over song

Musician Neil Young filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the Trump 47 Committee on October 26, 2026. Consequence, Courthouse News, Bloomberg Law News, Variety, Consequence of Sound, and The Hollywood Reporter all reported on the legal action. The lawsuit seeks 10 million dollars in damages and an order prohibiting the committee from using his music. [1][3][4][5][6][7]

According to Consequence, the complaint alleges that the committee used Young's 1989 track Rockin' in the Free World without a license. Consequence reported that the song was played before Donald Trump took the stage at an October 12, 2026, midterm campaign rally held in Youngstown, Ohio. Consequence also noted that Young has asked Trump to stop using the track for more than a decade, and the lawsuit claims the political operation violated a prior agreement not to play the song without proper licensing. [1]

Young is a Canadian and American singer and songwriter known for his personal lyrics, high tenor voice, and distorted electric guitar playing. He has recorded extensive work with his backing band Crazy Horse, earned the nickname Godfather of Grunge, and released the 1995 album Mirror Ball with Pearl Jam. PopMatters reported that Young recently released Second Song, his landmark 50th studio album and his second project recorded with the band the Chrome Hearts. [2][8]

The lawsuit follows another recent public statement from the musician. As FTMQ Music reported earlier, Young published a statement on his website praising the Tom Cruise movie Digger as the best film he has ever seen. [11]