A somewhat surprising cocktail. With YMCA des Village People, Donald Trump chose a gay anthem to accompany his electoral campaigns – that of 2020 and of course 2024, which has just made him the 47th President of the United States. A title which will still accompany the new Republican president during the inauguration ceremony which will take place this Monday.
A choice which is all the more surprising given that throughout his previous mandate, the conservative billionaire made several decisions which attracted the wrath of the LGBT community, but no matter, it was YMCA which punctuated his meetings, a 1970s disco hit composed by the Village People, a group many of whose members were members of the gay community themselves. It seems that the new American president knows nothing about it, even the meaning of the words of the title.
“YMCA”, a manifesto of homosexual pride
Released in 1978 on the Village People’s album “Cruisin’”, the song “YMCA” was written by the singer, Victor Willis, also known for his policeman costume, and the group’s two French producers. The title refers to the Young Men’s Christian Association, a Christian youth movement, but subtextly evokes meeting places for homosexuals, of which the YMCA would be a part.
“YMCA” is also seen in the eyes of producer Jacques Morali as a manifesto of homosexual pride. The Village People, themselves from gay culture, also popularized the video for their song thanks to their costumes: a cowboy, a native Indian, a police officer, a worker, a biker and a soldier.
“They have everything for young men to enjoy, you can hang out with all the boys” (“They have everything that young men like, you can hang out with all the guys”), chant the lyrics.
For Trump? A nostalgic song, with a festive energy
Yes, but like many other Americans, Donald Trump loves this song. Already used in pro-Trump rallies before the summer of 2020, “YMCA” is making its return in October 2020.
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-Donald Trump, barely out of Covid-19 and leaving for a new campaign, sees disco songs as a way to give energy to his meetings. In Florida, Pennsylvania and then Michigan, just a few days apart, he is seen for the first time waddling and shaking his fists, his signature dance move.
“For Donald Trump, it has no symbolic value. For him, it is above all: “Here is my soundtrack, this is me. I’m going to play it to the people who are there,’” Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, professor of music at the University of Georgia, recently explained to Ici -. “Studies show that voters often make their decision based on how candidates make them feel and not because of (…) their program.”
The Village People, firstly against the use…
A musical choice that is both nostalgic and festive, therefore sure to win over the public. But also an ironic reaction to the LGBT controversy. It was enough for Donald Trump to reuse “YMCA” to close his rallies in October 2024, notably in Georgia, Florida and Pennsylvania. This last meeting will also make a lot of talk; the businessman cut his speech short and began a 39-minute moon dance on stage, instead of answering questions.
But what do the first concerned people think? In 2021, the Village People tell TMZ that they have long asked Donald Trump not to use their music. “But since he is a tyrant, our requests have been ignored.” The group sends official letters then makes a parody of their own song on Saturday Night Live, addressing Trump: “You must pay us to use our song!” (“You have to pay us to use our songs”). In vain.
…Then finally present for the inauguration
But the group’s opposition to the use of their song ultimately won’t last forever. While President Donald Trump is experiencing his second “inauguration Day” in Washington this Monday, January 20, 2025, the names of the artists who will perform for the occasion were surprising: if the presence of country singer Carrie Underwood was not nothing disconcerting, that of the Village People a little more, given the history. They came to sing their song on stage during a final Trump meeting this Sunday, with a future president who had lost none of the mastery of his iconic dance steps.
“We know that this will displease some, but we believe that music must transcend political considerations,” Victor Willis, founder of the disco group, explained on his Facebook page.
An about-face therefore for the Village People, who however implied in their announcement that they supported candidate Kamala Harris: “Our song YMCA is a global anthem which, we hope, will help bring the country together after a tumultuous campaign and divided where our favorite candidate lost. Therefore, we believe that now is the time to bring the country together with music.
Willingness to unite or simple opportunism? At a time when the fight against so-called wokism is on the rise with leading figures like Elon Musk, the use of YMCA is above all a boon for the sales of the title, which have skyrocketed since the song was featured in Trump rallies. This did not escape Victor Willis, who welcomed it in several Facebook posts.
