Legendary Canadian musician Neil Young voiced concern that he may not be allowed to re-enter the United States after his upcoming European tour due to his criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The 79-year-old music legend spoke out about his fears that Trump’s administration could bar him from returning to the U.S. in a post on his Neil Young Archives website on Tuesday.
“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,” the folk-rock icon wrote.
“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,” he added.
“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 Canadian. If you are a dual citizen like me, who knows? We’ll all find that out together,” Young continued.
As Young has done many times in the past, he did not hold back about his feelings on Trump in his post, writing, “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? I love America and its people and its music and its culture. … Remember Freedom of Speech?”
The Heart of Gold singer said that from the “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 able [sic] to stand up to anyone who does not agree with his ideas? Remember, all months have 30 days,” he wrote.
“One country, indivisible, with Liberty and Freedom for all. Remember that? I do,” Young concluded.
Young has a U.S. tour booked with his rock band, Crazy Horse, beginning Aug. 8 in Charlotte, N.C., and ending at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, Calif., on Sept. 15.
Before the U.S. leg of his tour, Young will be performing across Europe, beginning in Sweden on June 18 and ending in London at Hyde Park on July 11.
In a similar message posted on his website on March 31, Young wrote, “What’s happening in our America right now, 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.”
“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 — ie: If you don’t agree with our government, you are barred from entering or sent to jail,” he continued.
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“Don’t let your knowledge be limited by today’s politics and the controlling Trump agenda that challenges your basic American freedoms. You elected this president. He is your President.”
Young also took aim at Elon Musk, the head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“Elon Musk? Really? Think about it. He is a threat to America, enabled by our president because of the millions he spent supporting our president’s election,” Young wrote.
Young isn’t the only person who fears they’ll have issues returning to the U.S. following a European tour.
International bestselling author Ali Hazelwood recently cancelled and refunded all her U.K. tour events and voiced her concerns about re-entering the U.S.
In a post on Instagram on April 2, Hazelwood, who is originally from Italy but now lives in the U.S., said she had to cancel the events because “it’s not possible for me to safely travel outside and then back inside the US.”
“Believe me, this is not a decision I made lightly. I know a lot of you have already made traveling plans, and I know how inconveniencing it is to cancel so close to the tour,” Hazelwood wrote. “All I can say is: I hope things change quickly, I hope to be able to travel abroad soon, and I am deeply thankful for your support and your understanding.”
Young has been a vocal critic of Trump for a long time.
In 2021, he penned an emotional essay about the Capitol riot, blaming social media and Trump for the discord in the United States.
“Sadness and compassion hit me last night as I watched fellow Americans telling their stories,” he wrote.
“We don’t need this hate,” he continued. “We need discussions and solutions. Respect for one another’s beliefs. Not hatred.”
He also referenced the difference between police reaction and enforcement during the Capitol riot and the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Washington, D.C.
“I was devastated to see the double standard,” he wrote, posting his essay to the Neil Young Archives. “The way people were treated in the Black Lives Matter demonstrations 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.”
In August 2020, Young filed a lawsuit against the Trump campaign for copyright infringement one month after writing Trump an open letter asking him to cease using his music at campaign rallies.
“This complaint is not intended to disrespect the rights and opinions of American citizens, who are free to support the candidate of their choosing,” stated the complaint filed in New York federal court. “However, Plaintiff in good conscience cannot allow his music to be used as a ‘theme song’ for a divisive, un-American campaign of ignorance and hate.”
Young said that Trump’s campaign lacked a licence to publicly perform the songs Rockin’ in the Free World and Devil’s Sidewalk. The musician stated that Trump has used his music for years without permission and played both songs at his June 2020 rally in Tulsa, Okla.
Aside from blocking Trump from playing his music, Young also demanded statutory damages of “not more than $150,000 nor less than $750 per infringement,” according to the filed complaint.
In July 2020, Young posted an open letter to Trump, writing, “Although I have repeatedly asked you to please not use my music because it indicates that I support your agenda, you have always played my songs anyway at your gatherings, with no regard for my rights.”
Young also penned another open letter to Trump in February 2020, calling him a “disgrace to my country.”
“Your mindless destruction of our shared natural resources, our environment and our relationships with friends around the world is unforgivable,” he wrote.
Young also noted that while Trump has continuously used his music at rallies, the president has previously called him “names on Twitter,” now known as X.
For example, back in 2015 — more than a year before he was first elected president — Trump called the singer a “hypocrite” while sharing a picture of the two posing together and shaking hands.
Young was born in Toronto in 1945 and spent most of his adolescent years moving between Ontario and Winnipeg before leaving the nest to pursue his music career. Young said he applied for American citizenship so he could partake in the 2020 presidential election.
— With files from Global News’ Chris Jancelewicz and Adam Wallis
