Leonard Cohen Estate Sends Cease-and-Desist to Trump

Donald Trump's recent town hall event in Oaks, Pennsylvania, turned into an unexpected music session after multiple attendees required medical attention. During the event, Trump played a variety of songs, including Rufus Wainwright's cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah', prompting Wainwright to express horror and label the use of the song as 'the height of blasphemy'. In response, the estate of Leonard Cohen issued a cease-and-desist letter against Trump for using the song, as they had previously denied its use during the 2020 Republican National Convention. While Wainwright condemned the event, Victor Wilson of the Village People noted that Trump's use of their song 'Y.M.C.A.' has positively impacted its popularity. The event, which was supposed to feature a Q&A session, ended up being dominated by music as Trump quipped about the heat, suggesting they should just listen to tunes instead. The incident has added to the ongoing conflict between artists and the Trump campaign over music licensing at political events.