Trump says his moves kept “YMCA” in first place for months – but the numbers tell a different story.
During an appearance at a retirement community in the US state of Florida, Donald Trump raved about his alleged decisive influence on the ongoing chart success for “YMCA”.
His dance moves, the US President said on May 1, were instrumental in ensuring that the Village People’s disco track once again reached the top position in the charts for a long time.
But what’s the point?
The song, originally released in 1979, actually returned to the top of the sales charts decades later after gaining traction and popularity during the 2024 election campaign.
Trump’s team regularly used the song as closing music at events. According to US media, “YMCA” was played at over 100 campaign appearances and increasingly became the unofficial soundtrack of his campaign.
In his Florida speech, Trump said that it was his dance moves that made the song so popular that it was back in the charts for “months.” At the end of his talk, he delivered these same dance movements again – raising both fists and swinging his hips.
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What does Melania Trump say about this?
He also talked about his wife’s reaction to his movements. She didn’t really like his dance performances. He quoted Melania Trump as saying his dance wasn’t “presidential” enough for her. And further: “She hates it when I dance to what is sometimes called the gay anthem.” Nevertheless, he defended his performance style with reference to his poll numbers at the time.
But be careful: However, Trump’s announcement doesn’t quite fit with the actual duration of the renewed chart success. While he talked about “months,” “YMCA” ultimately only spent six weeks at number one. And the rest of his claim is difficult to substantiate.
What do Village People think of the whole thing?
The use of the song in a political context had already caused discussions. Village People frontman Victor Willis initially spoke out against Trump’s use in 2020, but later reversed his stance. In 2021, Willis stated that Trump seemed to “genuinely like” the song, which is why he decided not to take legal action. The president once again emphasized his preference for the track during his speech.
An appearance by the Village People at Trump’s inauguration was also publicly discussed – but it actually took place. Willis emphasized that music should be performed regardless of political positions.