How Donald Trump’s Obsession with “YMCA” Destroyed Villagers
In October 2020, one New COVID-free Donald Trump pumped his fist in the air, reveling in his recovery on stage at a political rally in Florida as the Village People’s 1978 hit “YMCA” played to a sea of red hats.
While this was a celebratory moment for Trump, his mid-pandemic moves have been criticized by some — including CNN Don’tWho speak“I don’t know how many times he went to protests and danced with the Villagers…. He’s having fun and dancing on the graves of 215,000 Americans. Dancing.”
Trump’s moves are also a middle finger to the Villagers. The group has had varying responses to Trump’s use of the song over the years. “Our music is inclusive and certainly everyone has the right to dance to ‘YMCA,’ regardless of their political affiliation,” the band initially said. wrote on Facebook in February 2020—but added, “We want our music to be political.” By June, Victor Willis, one of the original members of the group, reversed course, write that after Trump threaten to use force to stop protests after police killed George Floyd, he “could no longer look away.”
But like Trump’s former detractors, including his own VPVillagers have since accepted the president-elect’s appeal — including Willis. group announced in a recent Facebook post that it will perform at Trump’s upcoming second inauguration. (Others in the lineup include country stars Carrie Underwood and a classical singer you’ve definitely heard of Christopher Macchio.)
“We know this will not be fun for some of you to hear, however we believe that the music will be performed without regard to politics,” the statement read. “Our song ‘YMCA’ is a global anthem that hopes to help bring the country together after a chaotic and divisive campaign in which our preferred candidate lost. So we believe it’s time to unite the country through music.”
Willis himself gently launched this pivot strategy last December, saying Fox News“If you asked me today if the Village People would perform at the inauguration, I would probably say no because we are concerned about endorsements.” But then he added, “However, since the president-elect has done so much for ‘YMCA’ and brought so much joy to so many people… if he asks the Villagers to perform live song for him, we will have to take it seriously.”
Trump, is known to be biased dated pop culture referencesis a long-time follower of Dan Village. And even before he dropped his post-COVID song “YMCA.” has been a staple at Trump rallies. He played it during a strange 40-minute meeting that ended at town hall in Pennsylvania last fall; a week earlier, the song even rang out at an event commemorating the first anniversary of the deadly October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel.
