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Neil Young Rips President Trump for Using ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ Like It’s His ‘Theme Song’

To say Neil Young has had it with President Donald Trump would be an understatement. After expressing his displeasure with the president after he played three of his songs —  including “Rockin’ in the Free World” — ahead and after a speech in South Dakota, Young has had enough.

In a new essay posted on his Neil Young Archives website, the rocker says that he’s “reconsidering” suing the president over his use of “Rockin’ in the Free World.”

“I am changing my mind about suing President Trump,” Young began the essay. “Reconsidering. I’m looking at it again. There is a long history to consider and I originally considered it, deciding not to pursue. But then President Trump ordered thugs in uniform onto our streets. His idea. He ordered it himself. This is all DJT.”

He continued by showing a video where a Navy veteran was “attacked by Trump’s trooper thugs.”

“Trump has no respect for our military,” he continued. “They are not to be used on the streets of America against law-abiding citizens for a political charade orchestrated by a challenged president…These are thugs with no IDs shooting Americans on the streets. They are not our police. Our police should arrest these untrained thugs for breaking our laws.”

After criticizing Trump for his lack of response to COVID-19 and how “this rogue president is creating a much worse problem with his street thug army of uniformed hatred,” Young concluded by writing that the meaning of “Rockin’ in the Free World” wasn’t intended for this situation.

“Imagine what it’s like to hear ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ after this president speaks, like it is his theme song,” he said. “I did not write it for that.”

In addition to writing an open letter to Trump earlier in the month, Young has expressed his support of Black Lives Matter and released a reworked version of “Southern Man” in solidarity with the movement. He issued Homegrown, a lost album from 1974 in June.