‘What does that say for Freedom?’ Canadian-born rocker asks in fiery post on his website
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Neil Young is worried he won’t be allowed into the U.S. if he keeps publicly bashing President Donald Trump.
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The 79-year-old Canadian-born rocker is about to embark on a European tour, and in a post on his website the two-time Grammy winner wondered if his frequent criticism of Trump might stop him from being allowed to re-enter America, where he lives.
“When I go to play music in Europe, if I talk about Donald J. Trump, I may be one of those returning to America who is barred or put in jail to sleep on a cement floor with an aluminum blanket,” Young writes on his Neil Young Archives site (per Variety), referencing Jasmine Mooney, a Canadian actress and entrepreneur who was detained by ICE for two weeks.
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“That is happening all the time now. Countries have new advice for those returning to America. You can read about it at the CANADA Desk. If I come back from Europe and am barred, can’t play my USA tour, all of the folks who bought tickets will not be able to come to a concert by me … That’s right folks. If you say anything bad about Trump or his administration, you may be barred from re-entering USA. If you are a dual citizen like me, who knows? We’ll all find that out together.”
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The Toronto-born singer-songwriter wondered what Trump’s contentious actions against his detractors means for freedom of speech. “If the fact that I think Donald Trump is the worst president in the history of our great country could stop me from coming back, what does that say for Freedom?”
Young’s rant continued: “By these latest actions of our US government, it seems that those who speak out freely with their own opinions are now vulnerable to a non-existent Trump law. Then it seems to me that if you voted for Kamala Harris over Trump, that makes it possible for you to go to jail or be detained, punished in some way for not showing allegiance to what? How spineless is that? Trump is not be able to stand up to anyone who does not agree with his ideas? Remember, all months have 30 days.”
Young has been a frequent critic of Trump and his return to power.
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Other posts on his website accuse Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who the president tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, of wanting to “Make America White Again,” making cuts to the Department of Education that primarily affect people of colour.
In another message on his website, Young posted an allegation that “Our rights to free speech are being taken away and buried by our government.”
“Reporters who do not agree with our government have been banned from interviewing our President,” one post read. “Canadian/ Americans like me have had their freedom threatened by activities such as taking private info from their devices and using it to block them from entering our country – i.e. If you don’t agree with our government, you are barred from entering or sent to jail.”
Their war-of-words started a decade ago when Trump announced his presidential candidacy at Trump Tower and took to the stage to the tune of Young’s Rockin’ in the Free World.
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“Donald Trump was not authorized to use Rockin’ in the Free World in his presidential candidacy announcement,” said a statement from Young’s manager, Elliot Roberts of Lookout Management. “Neil Young, a Canadian citizen, is a supporter of Bernie Sanders for president of the United States of America.”
In response, Trump called Young a “total hypocrite” and shared a photo of the Harvest Moon singer shaking hands with him in his office.
“Neil Young’s song, Rockin’ in the Free World was just one of 10 songs used as background music. Didn’t love it anyway…,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
After the 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol following Trump’s election loss to Joe Biden, Young said the “president has betrayed the people, exaggerated and amplified the truth to foment hatred.
“We don’t need this hate. We need discussion and solutions. Respect for one another’s beliefs. Not hatred,” he wrote.
Young also ripped the “double standard” between how the rioters were treated compared to the Black Lives Matter protesters the summer before.
“I was devastated to see the double standard. The way people were treated in the BLM demonstrations recently, compared to the other day. There is no place here for White supremacy. People need each other to be truly free. Hatred will never find freedom,” Young wrote.
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