Neil Young has taken Donald Trump’s political operation back to court over “Rockin’ in the Free World.” He says a promise made after his 2020 lawsuit was not kept. The new case comes as campaigns ramp up for the midterm elections.
Young filed the copyright suit on Monday against the Trump 47 Committee, according to Consequence. He is asking for $10 million in damages. He also wants a court order that bars the committee from using his music going forward.
The complaint points to a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, where the song allegedly played before Trump took the stage without a license. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The new case revisits a 2020 settlement
This is not the first round between the two sides. Young sued Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign over “Rockin’ in the Free World” and “Devil’s Sidewalk.” The new filing says that case ended after the campaign promised not to use the first song again without a license.
Variety reviewed the complaint and reports that the song was also played “numerous times at other rallies designed to encourage Republican votes in the upcoming mid-term elections.” The suit alleges that Trump “is now and at the time of all rallies this year was personally aware that a license would be required to play the song at rallies and that Young has not, and would not, grant the required license.”
Young’s lawyers also lean on what the song says. The 1989 track sets an anthemic chorus against images of poverty, addiction and homelessness. The complaint states, “In short, the song is the opposite of everything Donald J. Trump stands for.”
The suit adds that Young has suffered “damage to his reputation and brand.” The filing ties that claim to the idea that rally use suggests he backs Trump. Artists in similar disputes often argue that this kind of use implies an endorsement they never gave. The White House has also used pop songs in its own videos this year, the outlet notes, and then mocked the artists who objected. It is not clear whether that pattern played any part here.
Young has criticized Trump for years, and he has said he worries about a possible touring ban in the U.S.. The fight over this song goes back to 2015. Trump used it when he launched his first presidential campaign at Trump Tower that June. Young objected publicly, and the campaign later said it would stop.
Young still plays the song himself. He closed a September show with Willie Nelson with it, chanting “Take America Back!” Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl and Tom Morello also performed it together at October’s Power to the People Festival.
The next step depends on when the committee is formally served. Under federal court rules, defendants generally have 21 days after service to answer a complaint or file a motion challenging it. No hearing date has been set, and the committee’s response remains unclear.
Published: Oct 27, 2026 01:30 pm