Trump's dance party draws rebuke from Rufus Wainwright

“Leonard Cohen's song 'Hallelujah' has become an anthem dedicated to the recognition of peace, love and truth. I have been honored over the years to be associated with this chorus of tolerance. Last night it was wonderful to witness Trump and his supporters interact with this anthem. The height of blasphemy,” Wainwright said in a statement.

“Of course, I didn't deny it in any way and was sorry,” the statement continued, “but the good in me hopes that perhaps by living and actually listening to Cohen's masterpiece, Donald Trump may feel a hint of remorse. Why is he. I'm holding my breath. Not holding back.”

Representatives for Trump did not respond to requests for comment. The Cohen estate did not immediately respond to questions after multiple reports sent a cease-and-desist order to the Trump campaign following its use of the song at Monday night's event.

The town hall raised eyebrows from a number of journalists and pundits, who described Trump's move as confusing, bizarre and strange. The night began with Trump answering questions before leaving, after a pair of attendees needed medical attention. Trump joked with the crowd, asking if anyone else wanted to pass out, then proceeded to sing, bop, sway and sometimes talk — essentially turning the event into a musical listening session.

“Total lovefest at the Pa. town hall! Everyone was so excited they were passing out so @realDonaldTrump turned to the music,” campaign spokesman Steven Cheung wrote Monday night on X. “Nobody wanted to leave and wanted to hear more songs from the famous DJT Spotify playlist. !”

One of the songs on the playlist was “Hallelujah”, performed by Wainwright. As the song played, Trump said to himself, “Okay, turn on that music! Turn that on. Great song!”

“Hallelujah” is a hallmark piece of pop music that's been covered over and over (sometimes a little too much). Cohen's original version, which took five years to write, the album on which it appeared, “Different Locations,” bombed in the mid-'80s and was almost unheard of. But somehow, the song gained momentum in the following decades, with more than 300 artists covering it, including Bono, Justin Timberlake, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan. Wainwright's take, along with Jeff Buckley's slower version, which has appeared on TV shows like “The West Wing,” “The OC” and “House,” remains the most popular rendition.

After Cohen's version was played during the 2020 Republican National Convention, “Hallelujah” landed in the middle of a political uproar. Cohen's estate condemned the move in a statement at the time, saying the RNC used the song even though the estate denied their request to use it.

During the current election cycle, several artists — Neil Young, Beyonce, Foo Fighters, Abba and the White Stripes among them — have objected to Trump's use of music at campaign events. Their displeasure ignited a series of legal complaints against Trump, alleging that the former president played the songs without their permission.

Political candidates typically get the rights to hundreds of songs that they can use at events through licensing packages. But artists can request their publishers to remove songs from the package. The situation has become a legal complication that the Trump campaign has had to contend with consistently throughout the 2024 election cycle.