Rock icon Neil Young has now changed his mind about suing Donald Trump for using his songs in campaign rallies despite his disapproval. While Young originally stated that he would not be suing the president, to avoid distracting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the recent involvement of federal troops at Black Lives Matter protests in Portland have caused him to state “I am changing my mind about suing Donald Trump. Reconsidering. I am looking at it again.”
Young originally criticized Trump earlier this month for playing some of his hits including “Rockin’ In the Free World” during campaign rally in South Dakota. The performer is an outspoken Trump critic, who supports a number of progressive causes including indigenous rights and the Black Lives Matter movements.
During statement uploaded on his website yesterday, he lambasted the presence of federal troops in cities despite opposition from local and state governments. He also stated that “Trump has no respect for our military,” by having troops intervene in these protests, stating that their involvement is “not their sacred mission.” He also uploaded a video by a Navy vet, who alleged that he was “attacked” by federal troops during the protests.
“It’s a complete disgrace, the way he plays citizens against one another for his own political gain, saying that only cities run by democrats are in trouble and need help,” Young explained. “Those elected leaders asked him not to intervene. The elected representatives in all these cities and states are against Trump’s military thugs shooting people in the street. Our military is against it. That is not their sacred mission.”
The performer recently released a series of “lost” recordings from 1975 as Homegrown last month. A track titled “Vacancy“from the project was also released as a single last month.
Read the full letter below:
I am changing my mind about suing Donald Trump. Reconsidering. I am 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 into our streets. His idea. He ordered this himself. This is all DJT. He told them to wear camouflage, use unmarked vehicles to take people away, innocent people peacefully protesting — their constitutional right as US citizens. Trump’s troopers attacked a NAVY Vet (see video), who was presenting no threat to them, despite their lame excuses. This man is a military veteran (see what he says in video).
Trump has no respect for our military. They are not to be used on the streets of America against law abiding citizens for a Political charade orchestrated by a challenged President. It’s a complete disgrace, the way he plays citizens against one another for his own political gain, saying that only cities run by democrats are in trouble and need help. Those elected leaders asked him not to intervene. The elected representatives in all these cities and states are against Trump’s military thugs shooting people in the street. Our military is against it. That is not their sacred mission.
Trump says: “I don’t care what the military says.”
These are thugs with no IDs shooting Americans in the streets. They are not our police. Our police should arrest these untrained thugs for breaking out laws. They have zero de-escalation training, a must have for the job they are mishandling, so they’re totally unqualified to be there.
The US military is against these thug troops being here on the streets of America, attacking citizens. That is not what our US military does. They know they are not to be on the streets doing a rogue president’s bidding for his own political gain, harming innocent citizens who are legally protesting.
When the states asked for help with Covid 19, the president did not give it. He said he’s not responsible. When they said don’t bring military to our streets — we don’t need that, he did it anyway for his own political reasons — not for America. This rogue president is creating a much worse problem with his street thug army of uniformed hatred.
So I am reconsidering. Imagine what it feels like to hear ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ after this president speaks, like it his his theme song. I did not write it for that.
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