Neil Young has expressed his fear that voicing criticism of Donald Trump could get him “barred” from re-entering the US after completing the UK/European leg of his upcoming tour.
“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,” he wrote on the Neil Young Archives. “That is happening all the time now. Countries have new advice for those returning to America… 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.”
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He continued, “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.”
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Young became a US citizen during Trump’s first term, and shortly afterward, called the president “a disgrace to my country.” In recent months, the Trump administration has taken action against those who have spoken up about politics.
Just last month, three members of British punk pioneers UK Subs were denied entry into the US. In a social media statement, bassist Alvin Gibbs shared his belief that his “regular and less than flattering public pronouncements” about Trump could have been a factor.
Also in March, a researcher was denied entry to Texas and deported for text messages expressing his “personal opinion” on the Trump administration’s science policy, according to a statement from the French government.
In his note, Young pondered the ramifications of those actions. “If the fact that I think Donald Trump is the worst president in the history of our country could stop me from coming back, what does that say for freedom?” he wrote.
“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 ways for not showing allegiance to what? How spineless is that? Trump is not able to stand up to anyone who does not agree with his ideas?”
In June, Young and his new band, the chrome hearts, will head over to Europe and the UK to kick off their “love earth world tour.” Assuming he’s able to re-enter the US, the North American run is slated to begin in August. Tickets can be purchased here.
