Neil Young to Donald Trump: ‘You Are a Disgrace to My Country’
Neil Young has previously called Donald Trump a "dickhead," criticized his "misogyny and racism" and taken offense over political usage of "Rockin' in the Free World." Now the musician, who was recently granted American citizenship, has taken his criticisms to another level, calling the president "a disgrace to my country."
In a lengthy open letter on his Neil Young Archives site, the Canadian-born songwriter broke down all of Trump's perceived presidential failings. "Your mindless destruction of our shared natural resources, our environment and our relationships with friends around the world is unforgivable," he wrote. "Your policies, decisions and short-term thinking continue to exacerbate the climate crisis.
"The United States of America, my country, is not a green on one of your branded golf courses that you can ride around on and damage so that other players cannot shoot straight. … U.S. justice is ours — not yours."
Young also directly references their clash over "Rockin' in the Free World."
"[It] is not a song you can you can trot out at one of your rallies," he said. "Perhaps you could have been a bass player and played in a rock 'n' roll band. That way you could have been onstage at a rally every night in front of your fans, if you were any good, and you might be. … Every time ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ or one of my my songs is played at your rallies, I hope you hear my voice. Remember it is the voice of a tax-paying U.S. citizen who does not support you. Me."
Young also compares Trump unfavorably to two Democrats: presidential successor Barack Obama ("a better man than you are") and 2020 hopeful Bernie Sanders.
"One of your opponents has the answers I like," Young noted. "He is aiming at preserving our children's future directly. He is not popular with the democratic establishment because unlike all the other candidates, he is not pandering to the industries accelerating Earth's climate crisis, the end of the world as we know it. He is truly fighting for the U.S.A. His initials are B.S. Not his policies.
"We are going to vote you out and Make America Great Again," he concluded.
In non-Trump news, Young recently said he doesn't plan to perform live in 2020. "Don't expect anything," he wrote on the Archives site. "I am not focused on playing. I am taking care of my music" — likely a reference to the numerous releases he has planned for this year.