Neil Young Sues Trump Committee Again Over ‘Rockin’ In The Free World

Rock musician Neil Young has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against a political committee associated with US President Donald Trump, alleging that it used his song ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ without authorisation at a campaign rally.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday in a federal court in Virginia against the Trump 47 Committee, which Young alleges played the 1989 song before Trump took the stage at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on October 12, in support of Republican candidates in the midterm elections.

Young’s complaint argues that the song was used without a licence. It also describes the track as a work that contrasts political rhetoric with the harsh realities faced by disadvantaged people, arguing that its message is fundamentally opposed to Trump’s political stance.

White House spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the complaint.

Young previously sued Trump’s campaign in 2020 over the alleged unauthorised use of ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ and another song at campaign rallies. According to the latest complaint, the campaign agreed, as part of a settlement later that year, not to use ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ again without a licence.

Young is now seeking $10 million in damages over the latest alleged infringement.

The case, Young v. Trump 47 Committee Inc., has been filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia under case number 3:26-cv-01398.