Neil Young “not scared” of Trump, backs Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift in fight against US President

Neil Young has called out Donald Trump following the US President’s recent online attacks on Bruce Springsteen and other musicians.

• READ MORE: Bruce Springsteen live in London: the heartland hero remains firmly at his majestic peak

Yesterday (May 20), Young shared a new blog entry on the Neil Young Archives website, where he hit out at the President: “Bruce and thousands of musicians think you are ruining America. You worry about that instead of the dyin’ kids in Gaza. That’s your problem. I am not scared of you. Neither are the rest of us. You shut down FEMA when we needed it most. That’s your problem Trump. STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT ROCKERS ARE SAYING. Think about saving America from the mess you made.”

Young went on to reference Taylor Swift and Springsteen further – both of whom have been targetted by Trump in recent times: “Taylor Swift is right. So is Bruce. You know how I feel. You are more worried about yourself than AMERICA. Wake up Trump!! Remember what the White House is?”

He would add later in his blog entry: “You are forgetting your real job. You work for us. Wake up Republicans! This guy is out of control. We need a real president!”

Neil Young’s post comes after Springsteen called Trump’s administration “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous” during a show at Manchester’s Co-op Live on May 14. In response, the President called The Boss as a “dried out ‘prune’” who “ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country.”

Trumo also hit out at Taylor Swift on social media: “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’” The American Federation of Musicians later responded to Trump’s comments about both Springsteen and Swift, with the organisation’s president Tino Gagliardi saying: “Musicians have the right to freedom of expression, and we stand in solidarity with all our members.”

Springsteen seemingly wasn’t deterred by Trump’s words – at his second Co-op Live show, he went on a three-minute speech against the politician, saying: “Things are happening right now that are altering the very nature of our country’s democracy, and they’re too important to ignore.”

Since then, Trump has called for an investigation into Springsteen, who he claims was paid by Kamala Harris for his “POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT,” while he also criticised other artists, including Bono and Beyoncé, in a run of Truth Social posts.

Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has voiced his support for Springsteen recently (May 18): “Part of free speech is open discussion. Part of democracy is healthy public discourse. The name-calling is so beneath us. Bruce has always been as pro-American with his values and liberty, and his justice has always remained intact. And I’m saying this now to be sure this freedom to speak will still exist in a year or two when we come back to this microphone.”

Young has been politically active in recent times, playing at a Fighting Oligarchy rally organised by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Los Angeles last month. He was joined by Joan Baez and Maggie Rogers for versions of ‘Rainbow Of Colours’ and ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’.

Young is set to return to the UK and Europe this summer as part of his ‘Love Earth’ world tour with the Chrome Hearts. This includes a bill-topping set at Glastonbury Festival in late June, and a headline slot at BST Hyde Park the following month. In August, he’s due to return to the US for a run of North American tour dates.

However, the Canadian has questioned if he’ll be able to re-enter the United States when the European tour wraps, due to his many criticisms of President. This comes after the Trump administration has deported and detained several immigrants over their political views, including pro-Palestine activists, as well as those backing Ukraine over Russia.

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