BREAKING NEWS: Village People Perform ‘YMCA’ On Stage With Trump—And Yes, He Does The Dance | HO
At the conclusion of his Victory Rally in Washington, D.C., the Village People played President-elect Trump’s campaign anthem, “YMCA,” and Trump broke out his viral dance moves.
US President-elect Donald Trump danced to the iconic song ‘YMCA’ by disco group ‘Village People’ at his inauguration eve event. He was joined by the group on stage, who are said to perform at many of his inauguration events.
YMCA: A staple at Trump events
YMCA has been a constant feature at the majority of Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (Maga) public rallies. Trump first referred to the song at a rally in 2018 in Mississippi, where he stated, “Now we’re replacing the horrible job-killing Nafta (North American Free Trade Agreement) with a brand new US-Mexico Canada agreement which is a really good deal for us.” “The USMCA! Like YMCA, the song YMCA.”
Then he sang the chorus. “Y-M-C-A! Anyone struggling to remember the trade deal should think of the song,” he said. “We love that song.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the song featured at Trump’s campaign rallies and by Trump supporters at anti-lockdown protests. He even played the song when he was departing from the White House in 2020 at the end of his first presidential term.
The song was a staple of Trump’s campaign and has thereby seen a surge in its popularity once again. Before the inaugural Eve event, Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk were seen grooving to YMCA at a Thanksgiving dinner at his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida in 2024.
But what is the reason behind Trump’s fondness for this song? Is he a fan of the song or the disco music, in general?
According to a BBC report, Trump’s fondness for the song is not because of his love for disco music, but because of its thumping beats, which can energise the crowds during his rallies and get them going. The report claims that Trump is proud of the fact that his rallies have the populist razzmatazz of a sports match or a rock concert. So, a feel-good song makes sense as their favourite track.
The report also suggests that playing this groovy song also has a lot to do with nostalgia and they want a do-over. The Republicans want to relive some moments which according to them happened when America was “great.”
Making YMCA great again
Owing to Donald Trump’s usage of the song, it reappeared in the top 15 songs on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Sales chart at the end of October 2024. It then climbed to the number 1 spot during the week of November 17, 2024. With Google searches skyrocketing, the song became popular again. The listenership tripled and it also topped a Billboard sales chart for the first time. But much like the rest of Trump’s statements, the song has also been involved in controversies over the years.
YMCA controversy
In February 2020, the disco group allowed Trump’s team to use the song for his campaigns. However, in June 2020, singer Victor Willis said he did not want the song to be used by Trump anymore. His request, however, was denied, as the Trump team claimed that they had obtained a political entities licence.
In 2023, Willis sent a cease-and-desist letter after a group dressed as the Village People was seen performing. Willis changed his stance and after Trump’s victory, he spoke about the benefits of the song in a Facebook Post in December 2024.
“YMCA. has benefited greatly from use by the President-Elect. For example, YMCA. was stuck at #2 on the Billboard chart before the President Elect’s use. However, the song finally made it to #1 on the Billboard chart after over 45 years (and held on to #1 for two weeks) due to the President Elect’s use.
The financial benefits have been great as well as YMCA is estimated to gross several million dollars since the President-elect’s continued use of the song. Therefore, I’m glad I allowed the President Elect’s continued use of YMCA. And I thank him for choosing to use my song,” wrote Willis.
