Rufus Wainwright says he was "horrified" to learn that Donald Trump played his cover version of "Hallelujah" during a presidential campaign event in Pennsylvania on Monday.
The Canadian singer issued a statement saying Trump's decision to use the Leonard Cohen classic was the "height of blasphemy."
Wainwright's representatives noted that the publishing company for Cohen's estate also sent a cease-and-desist order to Trump's campaign.
"Hallelujah" was one of many songs played during the former U.S. president's town hall meeting in Oaks, near Philadelphia.
High temperatures in the room led to two medical emergencies and organizers paused the discussion for about half an hour of music.
Wainwright, a vocal supporter of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, joins a long list of musicians who've objected to Trump playing their music at his rallies.
In August, Celine Dion issued a statement saying she never authorized Trump's use of a video featuring her performing "My Heart Will Go On" during a gathering of his supporters while Beyonce demanded his team pull down a video that used her song "Freedom," which she has authorized for the Harris campaign.
Wainwright had a close relationship with Cohen before his death in 2016. The musician and Cohen's daughter Lorca had a child together via artificial insemination, and raised their daughter jointly with Wainwright's husband.
Wainwright described "Hallelujah" as "an anthem dedicated to peace, love and acceptance of the truth."
"I've been supremely honoured over the years to be connected with this ode to tolerance," he said in his statement.
"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."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2024.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's chief of staff says there's no simple answer to bolstering the integrity of political nomination contests.
Charges have been withdrawn against a man and a woman who faced a combined 90 charges in a child and animal abuse case.
While more Canadians are signalling their support former U.S. president Donald Trump, the majority remains hopeful for a Democratic win.
For the second straight month, grocery prices in Canada rose faster than the inflation rate, and beef in particular is significantly pricier than it was last year.
Canada is listing the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun as a terrorist group, while the U.S. has added a Canadian citizen affiliated with the organization to its counter-terrorism list.
It will feel more like winter for some parts of Eastern Canada over the next few days, with single-digit highs and snow in the forecast.
A Winnipeg high school student placed second in an international neuroscience contest where she competed against nearly 3,000 other students from 40 countries in Chicago, Ill.
An Air India flight, en route from Delhi to Chicago, was diverted to Iqaluit International airport in Nunavut Tuesday morning following an online security threat.
From his shrink wrap shock to his obsession with luxury, King Charles III's personal life seems to be filled with surprises, that’s according to a new book by biographer Tom Bower.
A Metro Vancouver man will spend up to four years in prison before he is deported after pleading guilty to a triple stabbing that left his sister-in-law dead and two others, including a two-year-old girl, seriously injured.
A Winnipeg high school student placed second in an international neuroscience contest where she competed against nearly 3,000 other students from 40 countries in Chicago, Ill.
Charges have been withdrawn against a man and a woman who faced a combined 90 charges in a child and animal abuse case.
A child is dead after falling from a Winnipeg apartment building on Monday.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the provincial government is introducing legislation that would require municipalities to receive provincial approval before removing traffic lanes to install new bike paths.
A federal union is calling for a Commons committee to launch an investigation into the federal government's new return-to-office policy, saying there has been 'catastrophic failures' with the new mandate.
From his shrink wrap shock to his obsession with luxury, King Charles III's personal life seems to be filled with surprises, that’s according to a new book by biographer Tom Bower.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday refused to say whether he's spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving office, but if the two did speak Trump said, it would be 'a smart thing' for the United States.
Alexei Moskalyov, a Russian man jailed for two years for discrediting the army after his daughter drew an anti-war picture, alleged after his release on Tuesday that he had been held in dreadful conditions.
North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson sued CNN on Tuesday over its recent report that he made explicit racial and sexual posts on a pornography website’s message board, calling the reporting reckless and defamatory.
While more Canadians are signalling their support former U.S. president Donald Trump, the majority remains hopeful for a Democratic win.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both pushed Tuesday to energize key constituencies that their allies worry might be slipping away, with the vice-president looking to reach Black men and the former president focusing on women.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will testify Wednesday before the federal inquiry into foreign interference, for the second time.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's chief of staff says there's no simple answer to bolstering the integrity of political nomination contests.
Canada is listing the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun as a terrorist group, while the U.S. has added a Canadian citizen affiliated with the organization to its counter-terrorism list.
When you go through the chore of cleaning your home, you hope the end result is a safer, healthier environment for you and your loved ones. But some of the products you are using might put your health at risk.
A Winnipeg high school student placed second in an international neuroscience contest where she competed against nearly 3,000 other students from 40 countries in Chicago, Ill.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says a Listeria outbreak linked to several plant-based milks appears to be over with no additional cases reported since August.
Expect to see more northern lights in unusual places as the sun continues to sizzle, space weather forecasters said Tuesday.
Hong Kong's oldest zoo is seeking answers in a monkey medical mystery after nine animals died in two days, including three members of a critically endangered species.
A NASA spacecraft rocketed away Monday on a quest to explore Jupiter’s tantalizing moon Europa and reveal whether its vast hidden ocean might hold the keys to life.
Rufus Wainwright says he was 'horrified' to learn that Donald Trump played his cover version of 'Hallelujah' during a presidential campaign event in Pennsylvania on Monday.
Sean "Diddy" Combs was hit Monday with a new wave of lawsuits accusing him of raping women, sexually assaulting men and molesting a 16-year-old boy.
Khloe Kardashian continues to open up about her health journey after dealing with skin cancer, revealing recently that she used facial injections to fill a cheek "indentation" that she was left with after surgery.
The chances of a half-percentage point interest rate cut by the Bank of Canada became more likely Tuesday after Statistics Canada reported the annual inflation rate fell to 1.6 per cent in September.
Cash-starved Boeing, contending with massive financial losses from a crippling strike and years of operational and safety problems, is turning to major banks and Wall Street to raise tens of billions of dollars in cash.
The more than US$3-billion settlement TD Bank Group has reached with U.S. regulators for its failures to oversee money laundering risks has underlined what some say are relatively weak enforcement options in Canada.
A couple from Owen Sound, Ont. is celebrating their good fortune after becoming instant multi-millionaires with Lotto Max.
Jane Xue sent her dog, a 2-year-old Samoyed named OK, off to her first day of work in mid-September. Her employer? A dog cafe in Fuzhou, in southeastern China.
A Vancouver Aquarium rescue seal named Biscuits has been named as one of the latest inductees to the viral TikTok trend 'Knights of the Rotund Table.'
The PGA of America is facing backlash and accusations of pricing out fans, with a single day ticket for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, costing just under US$750.
The Super Bowl will return to Atlanta in 2028 at the home of the Falcons, following a vote of approval by NFL team owners on Tuesday at the league's annual fall meeting.
Major League Baseball's postseason is averaging 3.33 million viewers going into the league championship series, an 18% increase over last year's average of 2.82 million.
The Ontario Provincial Police says the number of fatal collisions caused by distracted driving on the roads it patrols has increased by 40 per cent compared to this time last year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled on Thursday his vision of a 'a fun, exciting future,' an 'age of abundance' full of his company’s self-driving cars without steering wheels, parking lots turned into parks and robots that will walk among the population – that he once again promised would be available within a few years.
Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chef Paul Natrall, the man behind Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, is bringing cooking classes on First Nations fare to schools and offices throughout Metro Vancouver.
The Celtic Colours Festival is taking place at venues around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia from Oct. 11 to 19.
Sometimes love is written in the stars, but for one couple, it’s written in the aurora borealis.
Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the 'proudest accomplishment' of his entire life.
James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.
This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of a large blizzard that paralyzed Manitoba.
There was an eye-catching mix of rainbows and lightning over Vancouver following a brief downpour this week.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
Saskatchewan’s Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Mounties in Surrey are trying to identify three female suspects in the seemingly random stabbing of a woman on a sidewalk earlier this month.
A Metro Vancouver man will spend up to four years in prison before he is deported after pleading guilty to a triple stabbing that left his sister-in-law dead and two others, including a two-year-old girl, seriously injured.
The founders of a Vancouver 'compassion club' that sold heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine bought on the dark web and tested for contaminants, have filed a court challenge arguing their Charter rights and the rights of users were violated when the club was shut and they were arrested.
Toronto police are appealing to dozens of witnesses who they say were standing nearby when a man was shot to death in an apartment stairwell in the city’s north end last week.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the provincial government is introducing legislation that would require municipalities to receive provincial approval before removing traffic lanes to install new bike paths.
Police say a 35-year-old driver has been charged in connection with a deadly multi-vehicle car crash in Milton, Ont. last month.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is launching a series of ads against the federal government's proposed cap on oil and gas emissions, a move she believes will hurt production and 'kill jobs.'
Alberta now has a new provincial health agency to help residents access primary care services, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange announced on Tuesday.
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is calling on the province to help small businesses by eliminating small business tax.
More than 40 employees at Best Theratronics Ltd. in Kanata went on strike five and a half months ago - a situation that Canada's largest private sector union says is highly unusual.
A federal union is calling for a Commons committee to launch an investigation into the federal government's new return-to-office policy, saying there has been 'catastrophic failures' with the new mandate.
The Ottawa Police Service is investigating after students reported being chased by a person with a weapon at a Bells Corners high school on Tuesday.
Quebec's Education Department appointed two monitors at Bedford school in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges district to address a "toxic climate" of fear and intimidation at the primary school following an investigation. Meanwhile, the teachers' union calls the findings "damning."
More Quebecers are turning to the private health care network, according to a survey published Tuesday in the Journal de Quebec.
Police in Laval were once again called to a school that was placed under precautionary lockdown over a threat.
Charges have been withdrawn against a man and a woman who faced a combined 90 charges in a child and animal abuse case.
One person is dead after a crash on Monday night involving a semi and an SUV.
Alberta now has a new provincial health agency to help residents access primary care services, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange announced on Tuesday.
Three people, including a child, were killed in two separate collisions on Highway 101 in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley over the Thanksgiving weekend.
The Nova Scotia government says that in the coming days it will start building a 500-metre-long berm to protect a low-lying land link between the province and New Brunswick.
International enrolment in Atlantic Canada has fallen by nearly 3,000 students this academic year, a drop one university group says is the 'devastating effect' of the federal government's policies to reduce the presence of temporary immigrants.
The Manitoba government is calling on the services of a former MP to study the possibility of relocating rail lines in Winnipeg.
A child is dead after falling from a Winnipeg apartment building on Monday.
A 28-year-old Winnipegger is facing charges after an altercation unfolded between a store employee and a man who allegedly tried to steal merchandise from a West Alexander area store.
Regina police say a man was seriously injured when he was attacked by two dogs on Sunday afternoon while out walking.
The Saskatchewan Party says that it plans to keep the federal carbon tax off natural gas and electricity used for home heating for up to one more year if re-elected on Oct. 28.
Getting your Influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations just got easier as the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has now opened its seasonal immunization clinics.
Bird feces has now been identified as the “mysterious†substance dropped onto Ayr, Ont. home in August.
Waterloo Regional Police are investigating a sudden death in Cambridge.
Investigators are one step closer to finding out what happened to two Stratford, Ont. men who disappeared on a fishing trip 57 years ago.
A motel in North Battleford went up in flames on Monday night.
The Saskatchewan Party says that it plans to keep the federal carbon tax off natural gas and electricity used for home heating for up to one more year if re-elected on Oct. 28.
Saskatchewan residents have just a few more days to catch a rare glimpse of a comet visible to the naked eye, streaking across the western skies at dusk.
A 33-year-old suspect in the Sault is facing several charges after reacting angrily when a youth knocked over their basketball net Oct. 5.
A Greater Sudbury woman is upset about the charges laid against the man accused of attacking her son and a group of his colleagues downtown on Saturday.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the provincial government is introducing legislation that would require municipalities to receive provincial approval before removing traffic lanes to install new bike paths.
Residents are rallying for change in Lambton County following a fatal crash.
“I wasn't using a walker in July, but I am now using walker all the time,†said Martyn, who is struggling to move and can’t stand for long periods of time.
Investigators are one step closer to finding out what happened to two Stratford, Ont. men who disappeared on a fishing trip 57 years ago.
Police are investigating a drive-by shooting in Springwater Township that they say happened over the Thanksgiving Day long weekend.
A couple from Owen Sound, Ont. is celebrating their good fortune after becoming instant multi-millionaires with Lotto Max.
Â鶹´«Ã½ has confirmed a Beeton, Ont., man accused in a historical sex crimes case involving a five-year-old girl is facing additional charges.
Essex County OPP are crediting police canine Philie for helping out in the seizure of illegal drugs, cash, and stolen property worth $110,000.
In his 20 years with MADD Canada, Chaouki Hamka has witnessed many changes regarding impaired driving, from heightened societal awareness to legislative shifts and better enforcement. Still, he says, impaired driving remains the 'leading criminal cause of death' in Canada.
Essex County OPP officers took nine alleged impaired drivers off the road over the Thanksgiving weekend.
A Metro Vancouver man will spend up to four years in prison before he is deported after pleading guilty to a triple stabbing that left his sister-in-law dead and two others, including a two-year-old girl, seriously injured.
The founders of a Vancouver 'compassion club' that sold heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine bought on the dark web and tested for contaminants, have filed a court challenge arguing their Charter rights and the rights of users were violated when the club was shut and they were arrested.
It's the last week of the British Columbia election campaign after a busy long weekend of promises for the B.C. Conservatives, including a new Children's Hospital for Surrey.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
The Vancouver Giants scored late to force overtime before winning 4-3 over the Lethbridge Hurricanes Friday night.
If you’re looking for something to do this long weekend, the Lethbridge Corn Maze is open and hosting its annual fundraiser on Monday.
Local photographers were amazed by the aurora borealis display in the night sky over Lethbridge on Thursday night.
A 33-year-old suspect in the Sault is facing several charges after reacting angrily when a youth knocked over their basketball net Oct. 5.
A suspected impaired driver who tried to walk away after running a red light and crashing into a ditch is facing several charges, Sault police said Tuesday.
Home sales declined in North Bay in September compared to a year earlier, but sale prices held firm, according to data from the Canadian Real Estate Association.
A five-hour drive from St. John's, N.L., and well off the beaten path, Point Leamington seems an unlikely spot for a one-of-a-kind tourist attraction.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at Â鶹´«Ã½. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
