Daryl Hannah claims Trump administration tried to ‘mess Neil Young up’ over American citizenship

Daryl Hannah has claimed that the first Trump administration “tried every trick in the book” to “mess” with Neil Young while he was going through the process of becoming an American citizen.

Actor and director Hannah, who is the girlfriend and collaborative partner of the veteran rocker, made the revelation as she spoke about her new documentary, Neil Young: Coastal, about his 2023 solo tour.

Young, 79, recently expressed his concern that he could be barred from the US upon his return from his European tour – which includes headline performances at Glastonbury and the Montreux Jazz Festival this summer – due to his outspoken views on the US president.

“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 aluminium blanket,” he wrote on his website, following a rise in the number of people being detained and deported upon entering the country.

Young has long been a vocal critic of Trump and once sued him for using his song “Rockin’ in the Free World” during the presidential campaign trail.

“They tried every trick in the book to mess him up, and made him keep coming back to be re-interviewed and re-interviewed,” Hannah told the BBC of the Canadian musician.

“It’s ridiculous, [because] he’s been living in America and paying taxes here since he was in his twenties.”

However, she said she did not think Young would be prevented from entering the country: “They’ve been detaining people who have green cards or visas – which is hideous and horrifying – but they have not, so far, been refusing to let American citizens back in the country, so I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

In the same interview, the Splash and Kill Bill star said she would be accompanying Young to Glastonbury and film his performance from the side of the stage.

“People think of him as this intimidating, inscrutable person who’ll make an album the record company refuses to put out,” she said, referring to when Young was sued by Geffen Records for submitting two albums it said were “musically uncharacteristic”.

“He just has an absolute, uncanny commitment to his creative muse,” Hannah said. “He’s not driven by financial interests, he’s not driven by self-aggrandisement, he’s not driven by anything other than that creative force, and it’s pretty incredible to witness.”

Neil Young: Coastal is being shown in cinemas from 17 April. Young will headline the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday 28 June with his band the Chrome Hearts.