Donald Trumps Joins Village People of Queer Anthem 'Y.M.C.A' On Stage Ahead of Inauguration
The President-Elect joined the disco band on stage to perform "Y.M.C.A" the night before his inauguration.
Donald Trump joined Village People — the disco band behind one of Trump's favorite hits "Y.M.C.A." -- on stage ahead of a pre-inauguration celebration event, joined alongside South Dakota Governor Kristi Noam, Sergio Gor, Donald Trump Jr., U.S. Vice President-elect JD Vance, Charlie Kirk, and Kid Rock.
The band performed at multiple pre-inauguration events, a huge change from the President-Elect's 2017 inauguration, which struggled to attract high-profile performers.
Led by founding member Victor Willis, the group performed at two events: the Make America Great Again Victory Rally and the President-Elect's Liberty Ball.
The 1978 hit song "Y.M.C.A." was been a staple at Trump's campaign rallies throughout his 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns, with Willis changing his stance on Trump's usage of the song through the years.
This is the wildest end to a political rally I’ve ever seen.
— Brian Lilley (@brianlilley) January 19, 2025
Trump ends with his rallying cry and then is joined on stage by The Village People and he dances with them. pic.twitter.com/tXFOsjCVhs
In June 2020, Willis demanded the President-Elect stop using the track after Trump pledged to use military force to break up protests for the police murder of George Floyd.
In May 2023, Village People's manager and Willis' wife, Karen Willis, sent Trump a cease-and-desist letter condemning the song's usage at a Mar-a-Lago performance, claiming that it erroneously implied the band endorsed Trump.
In October 2024, however, Willis revealed that he'd changed his tune on Trump's preference for the track in an interview with Billboard, revealing that the President-Elect's usage of it "greatly benefited" the track's performance on charts after it shot to No. 2 on Billboard's digital chart and the top of the dance digital song sales chart.
Willis went on social media to share that while Trump's use of "Y.M.C.A." had drawn controversy because the song has become an unofficial cultural gay anthem, it is "a false assumption" that the song carries a queer subtext.
"We know this won't make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics," said the group in a statement posted to their official Facebook pages.
"Our song Y.M.C.A. is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost.
"Therefore, we believe it's now time to bring the country together with music which is why VILLAGE PEOPLE will be performing at various events as part of the 2025 Inauguration of Donald J. Trump."
Three official inaugural balls took place on Monday as part of the festivities, organized by the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, including the Commander in Chief Ball focused on military service members, the Liberty Inaugural Ball for Trump supporters featuring Village People, and the Starlight Ball, for high-dollar donors.
