Neil Young Fears Trump Administration Retaliation After Upcoming European Tour

Neil Young posted a message on his official website addressing concerns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. The Canadian-born rocker, who holds dual citizenship with the United States, is set to bring his Love Earth Tour to Europe in June and July, ahead of a North American leg in August and September.

“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,” Young 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.”

Young’s Europe tour, with his recently debuted band The Chrome Hearts, is slated to begin on June 18 in Rattvik, Sweden. The European excursion continues through multiple countries before concluding on July 8 in Stuttgart, Germany.

Young explored kicking off the Love Earth Tour with a free concert in Ukraine, but called off the show in the war-torn country due to safety concerns. The North American leg of the tour launches on August 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

A longtime environmental and political activist, Young has previously criticized U.S. presidents as far back as his 1970 song “Ohio” that directly addressed former President Richard Nixon. Young’s 2006 record Living With War was an entire album taking aim at former President George W. Bush, including writing the song “Let’s Impeach The President.”

Young spoke out about then-candidate Trump’s use of Young’s song “Rockin’ In The Free World” the during the lead up to the 2016 election. Young threatened a lawsuit in 2020 for improper use of his songs at Trump’s re-election campaign rallies. That same year, Rolling Stone published Young’s open letter to President Trump.

The full text of Neil Young’s new statement, titled “Coming Back To America,” can be found below:

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. 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.

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.

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?

By these 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 be able to stand up to anyone who does not agree with his ideas? Remember, all months have 30 days.

One country, indivisible, with Liberty and Freedom for all. Remember that? I do.