Topline

Village People founding member Victor Willis said Thursday morning he would “seriously consider” performing his band’s hit “Y.M.C.A.” if President-elect Donald Trump asked, citing the renewed attention Trump has brought to the song, marking another departure from his previous insistence that Trump stop using it at his rallies.

Key Facts

What Has Willis Said About Trump Using “y.m.c.a.?”

Willis appears to have switched his tune throughout the 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns on Trump’s use of his hit song at rallies. In June 2020, Willis demanded Trump stop using his music after the then-president threatened to use military force to stop protests that had flared up nationwide following the police killing of George Floyd. But three months later, a Village People spokesperson told Bloomberg Willis would not “sue him simply out of spite” because he is not a “Trump hater,” and stated he had “not granted permission for use at his rallies because permission is not required.” In the statement, Willis said Trump should “at least do the ‘Y.M.C.A.’ dance while he’s at it.” While Trump continued to use the song at his rallies for his 2024 presidential campaign, Village People manager and Willis’ wife Karen Willis sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump’s campaign in May 2023 condemning a Mar-a-Lago performance of “Y.M.C.A.” by performers dressed as the Village People, noting it sparked confusion and erroneously implied the band had endorsed Trump. Willis demanded Trump stop using Village People’s image and likeness, threatening to sue the campaign over its use of both the band’s image and music.

Why Has Willis Changed His Stance On Trump And ‘y.m.c.a.’?

In an October 2024 statement to Billboard, Willis said he has “in the past opposed Trump’s use of ‘Y.M.C.A.’ and we have made this very clear to him,” but stated he no longer opposes his use of the song because it has commercially benefitted him. Willis again clarified in a Facebook post Monday he initially opposed Trump’s use of the song because he had received many complaints, becoming a “nuisance” to him, but permitted Trump to use it because he “didn’t have the heart” to block his use after other artists did the same and because the song had risen in sales and on the charts.

Surprising Fact

In his Monday statement, Willis questioned “Y.M.C.A.”’s history as a gay anthem, urging people to “get your minds out of the gutter” and alleging people brought up the song’s apparent gay connotations to “shame the President Elect’s use of the song.” He added, however, “I don’t mind that gays think of the song as their anthem.” “Y.M.C.A.” has long been considered by LGBTQ listeners to be a gay anthem, as the Village People attracted a gay audience with their disco music and some lyrics of “Y.M.C.A.” were interpreted as reference to the Y.M.C.A.’s reputation as a gay cruising spot.

Tangent

The “Trump dance” has gone viral in recent weeks as athletes across several sports have used the move to celebrate wins on the field, sparking some controversy and prompting defenses from the athletes that the dance is apolitical. After Trump’ s election victory, San Francisco 49ers player Nick Bosa did the dance on the field to celebrate a sack, which Bosa, a vocal Trump supporter, said he did because “all the guys wanted me to do it.” Other NFL players, including Detroit Lions defensive end Za’Darius Smith, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley, also did the “Trump dance” on the field. U.S. men’s soccer team captain Christian Pulisic performed the dance after scoring a goal last month, which he said is “not a political dance,” clarifying he did it because he “just thought it was funny.”

Further Reading

Village People founder weighs performing ‘YMCA’ at Trump’s inauguration (Fox & Friends)

These Athletes—From The NFL, UFC And U.S. Soccer Embrace ‘Trump Dance’ (Forbes)