The veteran rocker recently became an American citizen.
Neil Young is never one to hold his tongue when it comes to subjects he’s passionate about, from the dire need to confront climate change and embrace alternative fuels to his belief in love, only love. But now, just two months after the 74-year-old Canadian-born rock icon became a naturalized American citizen he’s endorsing a presidential candidate for the first time.
“I support Bernie Sanders because I listen to what he says. Every point he makes is what I believe in. Every one,” Young wrote in a lengthy note on his official site. “In 2016, if Bernie had run instead of Hillary Clinton, I think we would not have the incompetent mess we have now.” Young, a frequent and verbal critic of Pres. Trump, also took issue with the Democratic National Committee, saying they “pulled] every string” to stop Sanders during the last election in favor of Clinton, suggesting that the same is happening again in the battle between Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden.
“As a new citizen, I was excited to register to vote,” wrote Young. “Outside the courthouse after I was naturalized, (funny word for it) there was a Democrat Party Registration booth. My first error as a U.S. citizen will be corrected now.” The “error,” he said, was registering with the Dems, which he has fixed by re-registering as an independent.
The reason Young said he supports Democratic Socialist Sanders is because of his consistency and Sanders’ push for free college tuition, among other planks in the Senator’s platform. The “Rockin’ in the Free World” icon then went on to list the Sanders policies he doesn’t consider that radical.
“Fight CLIMATE CHANGE like it is real,” he wrote. “Eliminate STUDENT DEBT. Make COLLEGE TUITION free. Pay for it all with TAXES ON THE SUPER RICH. $15.00 MINIMUM WAGE. HEALTH CARE AS A HUMAN RIGHT! The GREEN NEW DEAL for millions of new jobs with a future.”
Young also raged against Facebook, which he said “is corrupt and admits that it is,” dubbing the social media giant as a service “full of bots and trolls.” He believes in Sanders so much that Young encouraged loyal Trump supporters to write in to the Neil Young Archives site, which he promised will print their stories of the positive side of supporting the president.
A number of other musicians have supported Sanders as well, including Sonic Youth‘s Kim Gordon, Neutral Milk Hotel‘s Jeff Mangum, Ariana Grande, Bela Fleck, Bon Iver, Brandi Carlile, Cardi B, Dua Lipa, Jack White, Jason Mraz, Killer Mike, Miley Cyrus, The Strokes and Vampire Weekend, among many others.
While he waits for his turn to vote in November’s general election, Young has said he’s planning to tour North American arenas with his long-running band Crazy Horse.
