Skip to Main Content
Donald Trump drops Neil Young's Rockin' in the Free World as campaign song
Entertainment

Donald Trump drops Neil Young's Rockin' in the Free World as campaign song

A press secretary for the real estate mogul said Wednesday that the U.S. Republican nomination candidate would respect the wishes of Canadian rocker Neil Young.

Canadian musician said the song was played without his permission

The Associated Press ·
This composite shows U.S. real estate tycoon Donald Trump and Canadian folk rocker and activist Neil Young. Trump will find another campaign song after Young said Rockin' In the Free World' was used without his permission. (Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty, Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images)

Donald Trump has decided to find another campaign song.

A press secretary for the real estate mogul said Wednesday that Trump would respect the wishes of Neil Young and no longer use Rockin' In the Free World, which Trump featured Tuesday during his announcement that he was seeking the Republican Party's nomination for president.

Young, a Canadian who supports liberal Democrat Bernie Sanders, had objected and said the song was played without his permission. Rockin' In the Free World, released in the late 1980s, is a scathing condemnation of war and poverty that criticizes then-President George H.W. Bush, a Republican.

Trump press secretary Hope Hicks said Wednesday that "despite Neil's differing political views, Mr. Trump likes Neil very much."

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC News

Related Stories

Comments

To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted.

By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.