First they thanked Trump for using their “YMCA” for his election campaign, now they are playing for him too.
On January 20th the time has come – Donald Trump will be sworn in as the new President of the USA. He receives prominent support. On the one hand, country singer Carrie Underwood will perform at the ceremony in the Capitol, and on the other hand, it is now confirmed: Village People are also putting on a show for the Republican. Among other things, during an event on the eve of the inauguration.
“We know this won’t make some of you happy.”
The Disco Squad announced the news on social media, saying, “Today we are announcing that Village People have accepted an invitation from President-elect Trump’s campaign to participate in inauguration activities, including at least one event with the President-elect.” Trump. We know this won’t make some of you happy, but we believe music should be made without regard to politics.”
They then discuss their hit “YMCA”: “Our song YMCA is a global anthem that will hopefully help bring the country together after a turbulent and divided election campaign in which our preferred candidate lost.”
The band concludes: “That’s why we believe now is the time to bring the country together with music. That’s why Village People will be performing at various events surrounding Donald J. Trump’s inauguration in 2025.”
Trump liked to use “YMCA” and “Macho Man” to create a mood
During the election campaign, Trump’s campaign team repeatedly played “YMCA” and “Macho Man” by the Village People – the group, which is no longer with the original line-up, supported the use, and Village People founding member and songwriter Victor Willis even thanked them with Trump and team. Willis also rejected any interpretation of the song as a celebration of queerness and made it clear that he does not consider the song to be a “gay anthem.” He announced legal action in 2025 against any media that continued to claim this.
In a Facebook post on December 2, Victor Willis wrote that he initially asked Donald Trump to stop using the song at his rallies. He discovered it as a kind of signature tune and even came up with his own dance choreography for it. But because of a usage agreement between the record company BMI and the campaign, Trump had every right to continue playing the song, said Victor Willis.
“Trump seems to really like ‘YMCA’ and he’s having a lot of fun with it,” the musician wrote. “I just didn’t have the heart to ban further use of my song when so many artists have withdrawn the use of their material. So I told my wife to inform BMI not to revoke the license for political use by the Trump campaign.” In addition to obvious pity, money was also a decision factor. Because at the same time he acknowledged his financial advantage. Through Trump he will earn “several million dollars” from the 1978 hit.
“You can hang out with all the boys”
As for the idea that “‘YMCA’ is somehow a gay anthem,” Willis continued, “is a false assumption based on the fact that my writing partner was gay and some (not all) of the Village People were gay and that the first Village People album was entirely about gay life.” This misunderstanding was further reinforced by the fact that the youth clubs of the “Young Men’s Christian Association” were also “apparently used as a kind of gay meeting place.” All of this led to the view that the piece was a “message to gays.” But despite all the evidence, Victor Willis is certain: “That’s not him.”
At the time it was made, he simply didn’t know that homosexuals would like to spend time in the “YMCA” – his gay bandmate Jacques Morali never told him. So he simply wrote a text about the “Y” in the urban areas of San Francisco, about “swimming, basketball, track and field” and “cheap food and cheap rooms.” The line is “You can hang out with all the boys.” “Just 1970s black slang for black boys hanging out together,” said the singer, who in the Village People usually dressed as a police officer in tight pants and knee-high boots.
“You can do whatever you feel”
“Since I wrote the text and should know what the text I wrote was really about, starting in January 2025, my wife will be suing any news organization that falsely refers to ‘YMCA,’ either in its headlines or in allusions to it.” “The narrative that ‘YMCA’ is somehow a gay anthem because that idea is based solely on the song’s lyrics, which allude to depraved activities, which is not the case,” Victor Willis eventually wrote. It remains to be seen whether freedom of expression will win out in the end.