Rufus Wainwright and Leonard Cohen estate oppose use of 'Hallelujah' at Trump’s campaign event

Leonard Cohen’s estate has issued a cease and desist letter to Donald Trump following his use of Rufus Wainwright cover of ’Hallelujah’ at a “bizarre” town hall event in Pennsylvania.

Wainwright also issued a statement condemning Trump’s use of the track, saying he was “horrified”, and characterising ‘Hallelujah’ as “an anthem dedicated to peace, love and acceptance of the truth. I’ve been supremely honoured over the years to be connected with this ode to tolerance.

“Witnessing Trump and his supporters commune with this music last night was the height of blasphemy,” he continued. “Of course, I in no way condone this and was mortified, but the good in me hopes that perhaps in inhabiting and really listening to the lyrics of Cohen’s masterpiece, Donald Trump just might experience a hint of remorse over what he’s caused. I’m not holding my breath.”

The Canadian-American singer also said he would be supporting the Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris in the upcoming US presidential election.

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Donald Trump's town hall event in Pennsylvania took what's being widely reported as a 'bizarre' turn yesterday – with the former US president cutting the Q&A short, and playing music for over half an hour. Trump remained onstage for the duration, nodding along and swaying to the music.

The presidential candidate’s music choices also included a video of Sinéad O'Connor performing 'Nothing Compares 2 U', after Sinéad's estate asked him to stop playing her music at rallies earlier this year, saying: “As the guardians of her legacy, we demand that Donald Trump and his associates desist from using her music immediately.

"It is no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt, and insulted to have her work misrepresented in this way by someone who she herself referred to as a 'biblical devil'."

The 'biblical devil' quote was taken from Sinéad's final interview with Hot Press in 2020: "I actually do believe Donald Trump is the biblical Devil, the fucker," she remarked.

As well as ‘Hallelujah’ and ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, Guns N’ Roses’ ‘November Rain’ was also played, alongside James Brown’s ‘It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World’ and the Village People’s ‘YMCA’.

Leonard Cohen’s estate had previously sued Trump for the use of the song – in 2020, they confirmed they would take legal action when the former president used it twice during the Republican National convention.

Many artists have opposed their music being used at Trump rallies and campaign events in the past. In August, Beyoncé blocked the use of her song ‘Freedom’ after it made an appearance in one of his campaign videos.

In September, Trump also lost a legal battle over using Eddy Grant’s 1993 song ‘Electric Avenue’ without permission from the artist.