Neil Young did not give Donald Trump permission to use his song during campaign event

Neil Young.
(Image credit: Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

Here's some free advice for anyone planning to announce they are running for president: Don't play music at your rally without the artist's authorization, and certainly don't use a song by someone who would never endorse you in a billion years.

When Donald Trump announced he's joining the million or so other people vying for the GOP presidential nomination, Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World" played in the background. This didn't please Young, who told the Los Angeles Times through his manager, Elliot Roberts: "Donald Trump was not authorized to use 'Rockin' in the Free World' in his presidential candidacy announcement. Neil Young, a Canadian citizen, is a supporter of Bernie Sanders for president of the United States of America." Roberts also said he has contacted Trump's people and requested they stop using the song.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.