Donald Trump’s use of Neil Young song blasted by singer’s manager

Donald Trump’s use of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” at the launch of his presidential campaign was “not authorized” by the musician, according to Young’s manager.

Before Trump took to the podium to announce he was throwing his hat into the ring for the GOP presidential nomination, Young’s 1989 hit could be heard blasting through the sound system for the crowd gathered at Trump Tower in New York.

Young’s manager, Elliot Roberts, tells Mother Jones, “Donald Trump’s use of ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ was not authorized.”

{mosads}Young, says Roberts, is instead rooting for another presidential candidate on the opposite end of the political spectrum: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). 

Young, 69, is a “longtime supporter” of Sanders, according to Roberts.

“Rockin’ in the Free World” was, in any case, an unusual choice for Trump. The song paints a deeply critical picture of the United States of the time, including a caustic reference to the “thousand points of light,” a slogan used in speeches by then-President George H.W. Bush.

“We got a thousand points of light for the homeless man/We got a kinder, gentler machine-gun hand,” the lyrics state.