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Village People dance with Trump, despite once trying to stop him using their music
â??Y.M.C.Aâ?? has played at countless Trump rallies throughout his political career
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Donald Trump closed his pre-inauguration victory rally in Washington, D.C. with a live performance of âY.M.C.A.â
The president-elect hosted the âMake American Great Again Victory Rallyâ at Washingtonâs Capital One Arena on Sunday, less than 24 hours before Inauguration Day. As Trump ended his final speech before taking the White House for a second term, the band Village People came on stage to perform their 1978 disco hit âY.M.C.A.â live.
The 47th President-elect of the United States boogied alongside them, pumping his fists up and swaying side-to-side with a grin on his face.
âY.M.C.A.â is almost as central to the Trump campaign as his âMake America Great Againâ slogan. The song has been played at countless rallies held by the president-elect throughout his political career, often accompanied by his infamous fist-pumping dance.
Donald Trump dances with Village People as they perform âY.M.C.Aâ at his Washington, D.C. victory rally on Sunday (REUTERS )But before the âY.M.C.A.â was Trumpâs signature tune, it was long considered an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community. The band was founded by two French music producers who were inspired by a scene at a gay club in New York Cityâs meatpacking district, The Washington Post reports.
However, Victor Willis, the groupâs lead singer and the only original member left in the band, shared a statement last month explaining why itâs a âfalse assumptionâ to view the song as a gay anthem and even âdefamatoryâ to label it as such.
âThereâs been a lot of talk, especially of late, that Y.M.C.A. is somehow a gay anthem,â Willis wrote in a December 2 statement. âAs Iâve said numerous times in the past, that is a false assumption based on the fact that my writing partner was gay, and some (not all) of Village People were gay, and that the first Village People album was totally about gay life.â
âHowever, I donât mind that gays think of the song as their anthem,â he later added.
Willis also addressed backlash to his groupâs decision to perform at three inaugural events this week, noting in a statement Thursday that Village People will be âthe first to speak outâ if the president-elect restricts LGBTQ+ rights.
But Trump and many of his incoming cabinet picks and allies have consistently spread anti-trans rhetoric and signaled theyâre poised to roll back protections for transgender Americans. The president-electâs nominee to oversee the federal governmentâs enforcement of civil rights even spent the last year leading a legal crusade against transgender Americans, The Independent previously reported.
Trump also already sought to restrict LGBTQ+ rights during his first term, including by banning transgender people from joining the military. President Joe Biden has since reversed this ban, but reports have already emerged indicating Trump could reinstate it soon after taking office.
Trump has long been a fan of the Village People â who once wanted him to stop using their music ( REUTERS)Willis also claimed that Village Peopleâs agreement to perform for Trump does not constitute an endorsement of his policies â and even called Vice President Kamala Harris the groupâs preferred candidate.
âFirst of all, our performances are not an indorsement of the President Electâs policies no matter what you say to the contrary,â Willis wrote. âHaving said that, we do support that we have a new president now and we should all wish him well until he gives us a reason not to.â
âWe believe that music should be shared across political spectrum and not preserved for one political side,â he added. âBut hereâs the sad truth, if our preferred candidate (Kamala Harris), had won, Village People would never have been invited to perform at her inauguration. She would have chosen the likes of John Legend and Beyonce, etc.â
âBut now that President Trump has been elected, Village People are suppose to tow the line and say no to an invitation to perform? How does that benefit Village People? It does not. Itâs simply hatred from one political perspective.â
Elon Musk's four-year-old son X joins father on stage at Donald Trumpâs Washington rallyBut the group wasnât always so friendly toward Trump.
Karen Willis, the groupâs manager and wife of the lead singer, sent Trumpâs legal team a cease-and-desist letter after he was filmed dancing to the bandâs hit âMacho Manâ at Mar-a-Lago two years ago.
Willis explained his reasoning behind the letter last month: âSince 2020, Iâve received over a thousand complaints about President Elect Trumpâs use of Y.M.C.A. With that many complaints, I decided to ask the President Elect to stop using Y.M.C.A. because his use had become a nuisance to meâ
He then said that reports of the ânumerous artistsâ telling Trump he canât use their songs gave him a change of heart.
âAs such, I simply didnât have the heart to prevent his continued use of my song in the face of so many artists withdrawing his use of their material,â Willis said. âSo I told my wife...to not withdraw the Trump campaign political use license.â
