Christopher Macchio and Marine Band Master Gunnery Sgt. Kevin Bennear performed Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” at Trump’s June 24 Washington rally, even after the estate publicly objected.
The estate said the use was unauthorized and that it did not support or approve the song’s appearance at the Freedom 250 event celebrating 250 years of the United States.
Video from the rally showed the performance unfolding with a B-2 bomber flyover shortly before Trump took the stage.
The clash extends a longer dispute over Trump’s use of the song: the estate had also objected during his 2024 campaign, while “Hallelujah” remains one of Cohen’s most-covered works, with more than 300 recorded performances.