Neil Young Urges Americans to ‘Rise Up’ in New Editorial Criticizing Trump
The post arrives days after a protester was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis.
1/10/2026
The post arrives days after a protester was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis.
Neil Young performs in concert during Farm Aid 2024 at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Sept. 21, 2024 in Saratoga Springs, New York. Gary Miller/Getty Images
Neil Young has published a strongly worded new editorial criticizing Donald Trump, using his official Neil Young Archives website to address recent political unrest and reiterate his long-running opposition to the former president.
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In the editorial, titled “It’s ICE Cold Here in America,” Young urges readers to “wake up” and describes what he sees as a deteriorating political and social climate under Trump’s leadership.
The post arrives days after a protester was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis, an incident that sparked demonstrations in multiple U.S. cities.
“Today the USA is a disaster,” Young wrote in the post, which was published earlier this month.
“Donald Trump is destroying America bit by bit with his staff of wannabes…He has divided us.”
Young goes on to accuse Trump of fostering instability and using fear as a political tool, warning against what he characterizes as the militarization of American cities. “Make America Great Again,” Young wrote. “It won’t be easy while he is trying to turn our cities into battlegrounds so he can cancel our elections with marshal law and escape all accountability.”
The musician also calls for collective action, urging Americans to respond through nonviolent protest. “Something has to change this,” Young continued.
“We know what to do. Rise up. Peacefully in millions. Too many innocent people are dying.”
In the closing portion of the editorial, Young directs his sharpest language toward ICE, writing, “It’s ICE cold here in America.”
He criticizes what he views as expanded enforcement tactics under Trump, adding, “Every move he makes is to build instability so he can stay in power.” Young concludes by encouraging readers to act from compassion rather than fear, emphasizing “love of life” and “love of one another.”