Rufus Wainwright speaks out against Trump using his song at Oaks town hall

Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright doesn’t want to be on former President Donald Trump’s playlist.

Trump pivoted to an odd music-listening session after two medical emergencies occurred at his town hall event Monday night in the Philadelphia suburbs. Only four questions into the Q&A, Trump suggested, “Let’s just listen to music ... Who the hell wants to hear questions?”

For nearly 40 minutes, Trump could be seen swaying on stage to bangers including “Ave Maria” (twice) and “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown. Trump apparently hand-selected each track, including “YMCA,” which he asked to be played “nice and loud,” and Wainwright’s 2001 cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

Wainwright issued a statement Tuesday expressing his dissatisfaction.

“The song ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen has become an anthem dedicated to peace, love and acceptance of the truth. I’ve been supremely honored over the years to be connected with this ode to tolerance,” Wainwright said. “Witnessing Trump and his supporters commune with this music last night was the height of blasphemy. 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.”

Wainwright, 51, is a Canadian-American baroque pop singer-songwriter whose career developed throughout the aughts. His self-titled debut in 1998 was named one of the best albums of the year by Rolling Stone. He’s been nominated for two Grammy Awards throughout his career.

Wainwright is regarded as a well-respected instrumentalist and writer. His songs are often featured in film soundtracks; his cover of Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was featured on the Shrek soundtrack, which sold over 2 million copies.

Notably, Wainwright, who is gay and a GLAAD award recipient, identifies as a “complete libertarian” and has spoken out against Trump and his anti-LGTBQ+ policies.

The intro for the music video for Wainwright’s 2018 single, “Sword of Damocles,” takes aim at Trump with the text: “Dear Mr. President, This ancient story, from the 4th century, reminds me of you. Love, Rufus,” before going on to describe the legend of Damocles. In a 2020 interview with NME, Wainwright called Trump’s administration “inept” and “pure evil.” Wainwright has endorsed Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.

In his statement, Wainwright added that the publishing company responsible for Cohen’s estate sent Trump’s campaign a cease and desist letter — and they’re far from the first to do so.

At the Monday town hall, Trump’s playlist included the late Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” despite her estate having previously denounced the song’s use. Earlier this year, Jack White and his former bandmate Meg White filed a lawsuit against Trump for using the White Stripe’s “Seven Nation Army” at a rally. Isaac Hayes’ estate is also suing Trump for playing “Hold On, I’m Coming” more than 100 times without permission. Additional acts including (but not limited to) ABBA, Celine Dion, The Smiths, Beyoncé, The Rolling Stones, Queen, and Neil Young, have also spoken out against Trump’s usage of their songs at past rallies.