Neil Young has officially endorsed Kamala Harris to be the next US president, describing her as “an honest, forthright truth teller”.
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The rock icon has been politically outspoken for much of his career, and with the election just over three weeks away, he has chosen this moment to nail his colours to the mast.
Writing on his Archives site on Friday (October 11), he has said: “She is an honest forthright truth teller who is experienced in the White House, free from ambiguity or evasiveness, who goes straight to the point.”
“Clear headed, young enough to hold the office for a couple of bright future terms, Kamala Harris is a good person who is unafraid to take on criminals and uphold the law of the USA. She’s my candidate for the future of this great country.”
Neil Young performs onstage at the 25th anniversary MusiCares 2015 Person Of The Year Gala. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
He added he believes Harris “will take on the billionaire class and make them pay their share of taxes. She will not owe them any favors. She is a kind, considerate American.”
In August, Young granted Harris’ running-mate Tim Walz permission to use ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’ on the campaign trail, after having sued Donald Trump for his use of it.
In 2020, Young filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Trump over his usage of the song. “The Campaign has wilfully ignored Plaintiff’s telling it not to play the songs and wilfully proceeded to play the songs despite a lack of license,” read the lawsuit that was shared on Young’s website.
It continued: “The Campaign does not now have, and did not at the time of the Tulsa rally, have a license or Plaintiff’s permission to play the two Songs at any public political event.”
The lawsuit added that Young is seeking “statutory damages in the maximum amount allowed for wilful copyright infringement.”
The singer has previously shared multiple open letters on his website condemning the former President’s continued unauthorised use of his music.
“Imagine what it feels like to hear Rockin’ in the Free World after this president speaks, like it is his theme song,” Young wrote in a blog post. “I did not write it for that.”
Young becomes the latest in a long line of high-profile musicians to throw their weight behind the Harris-Walz campaign ahead of the November 5 election. Earlier today, Stevie Wonder endorsed the Democratic ticket in a new political ad with Spike Lee, while Michael Stipe, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Charli XCX, Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, P!nk, Bon Iver, Quavo, Bruce Springsteen and Olivia Rodrigo are all also supporting her.
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