Photo Credit: Leonard Cohen by Takahiro Kyono / CC by 2.0
The Leonard Cohen Estate objected to Trump using the song “Hallelujah” at the Freedom 250 rally in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday — though the warning was promptly ignored.
The Leonard Cohen Estate posted a statement objecting to Donald Trump’s intention to use the song “Hallelujah” at Wednesday night’s Freedom 250 rally in Washington, D.C. The president made a point three weeks ago to announce that tenor Christopher Macchio would perform the song at the event, which will also feature country singer Lee Greenwood.
“The Leonard Cohen Estate has learned that the song ‘Hallelujah’ is to be performed at a Donald Trump rally on June 24,” reads the post on the late Cohen’s Facebook page. “This use is not authorized, and the Estate does not support or approve of this or any similar usage.”
Besides Macchio and Greenwood, the event featured a performance of the National Anthem by Alexis Wilkins, girlfriend of FBI director Kash Patel. Wilkins made the announcement on her social media on Tuesday, but immediately started defending herself from critics who believed she was selected because of her connections and not her own merit as a performer.
Trump has enjoyed using “Hallelujah” at his rallies in the past, as well as other songs by artists who have openly objected to the use of their work at such events. Notably, this includes the Isaac Hayes Estate. However, the underlying law regarding compulsory public performance licenses has been the prevailing stance in these cases—meaning it’s the venues, not the Trump campaign, that pay a blanket fee for the use of music at events.
And when it comes to live covers of songs, the law is also mostly clear, with usage broadly permitted in the United States.
Earlier this month, Trump announced on his Truth Social that the event would be “the Greatest Rally, EVER!” as he mocked the performers who had previously backed out of Freedom 250 commitments. The event, which was originally promised to be a “nonpartisan” affair celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday, quickly transformed into one of Trump’s usual MAGA rallies.
“We don’t want singers with no talent, but big fees to put you to sleep—we’ve told them all to stay home,” Trump wrote. “All we want is you, me, a few speakers, and the Greatest Music ever played, the same Music you have listened to for years! We will have the fabulous Lee Greenwood introducing me with what has turned out to be one of the Greatest Hits of All Time, ‘GOD BLESS THE USA.’”
In addition to “Hallelujah,” Macchio also sang “Nessun Dorma,” “Ave Maria,” and “God Bless America.”
Previously, Trump used Rufus Wainwright’s cover of “Hallelujah” from the Shrek soundtrack, but he has since pivoted to the Cohen original after Wainwright spoke out about the use of his version back in 2024.
