Donald Trump for President!

Donald Trump is running for president, which is AMAZING. Maybe the most amazing thing to happen to me all year because I adore Donald Trump. Well, I adore Donald Trump the Character, not so much Donald Trump the Person, because Donald Trump the Person is kind of a huge asshole but Donald Trump the Character is brilliant and I assume it’s Donald Trump the Character who is running for president.

The thing I like most about American politics (although to be fair, that is a really short list. In fact, it may be the only thing I like about American politics) is the presidential campaign theme song — it reveals so much about a candidate. What kind of person do they think they are? How do they want to be perceived by voters? Who is their favorite artist? How tone deaf are they? Who is the coolest, hippest, more relevant artist (in their mind) when they try desperately to appeal to “young people” and/or “minorities”? Just how out of touch with reality do you have to be when you choose “Born in the USA” as a presidential campaign song? So many questions.

Trump, of course, in his absolutely stunning presidential announcement, chose Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” to which Neil Young responded, “HAHAHAHAHAAAAAA FUCK OFF.” I mean, that’s not a direct quote but it’s pretty close. And it’s not as if Trump just randomly chose a song by a more liberally-minded musician and that musician doesn’t want him to use it. Trump chose a song SPECIFICALLY about how a Republican administration (it was George H.W. Bush at the time) didn’t care about America’s poor people. The irony on that one is almost deafening. God, I love American politics, seriously.

Neil Young actually had a very classy and biting response to Donald Trump. His manager released a statement to Mother Jones saying,

“Donald Trump’s use of “Rockin’ in the Free World” was not authorized. Mr. Young is a longtime supporter of Bernie Sanders.”

Translation: Suck it, Donald Trump.