Experience the Village People’s Performance of ‘YMCA’ Featuring Donald Trump at the Inaugural Rally

Villagers Perform at Trump’s Inauguration Rally

Villagers took to the stage with Donald Trump at the latter’s inauguration rally to sing “YMCA.” Watch footage of the moment below.

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Event Highlights

The group appeared today (January 20) as part of the GOP leader’s second line-up at the US Capitol.

At the event, which also featured Carrie Underwood, Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Nelly, the American disco band took to the stage in their signature attire to perform a live rendition of “YMCA.”

Once on stage, they shook the president-elect’s hand before heading to the microphones and performing the famous choreography. During the speech, Trump danced and sang along to some of the lyrics.

Check it out below.

The Band’s Complex History with Trump

The band’s performance came after a tumultuous relationship with the politician, particularly over the use of the 1978 song in his rallies over the years.

Leading up to his inauguration, Trump consistently used two Village People songs during his campaigns – both in 2020 and last year – “Macho Man” and “YMCA.”

Despite initially asking him not to use “YMCA” in 2020 after the president apparently threatened to shoot Black Lives Matter protesters in Minneapolis, Village People frontman Victor Willis backtracked on his disapproval in 2021.

Explaining his change of heart at the time, Willis wrote: “I said to my wife one day, ‘Hey, Trump seems to genuinely like the YMCA, and he really likes it.’ So I just didn’t have the heart to stop him from continuing to use my song in the face of so many artists refusing to use his material. “So I asked my wife to inform BMI not to revoke the Trump campaign’s political use license.”

He continued, “The financial benefits have been enormous, and it is estimated that the YMCA has made several million dollars since the President-Elect continued to use the song. So I’m glad I allowed the President-Elect to continue using the “YMCA.” And I thank him for choosing to use my song.”

Most recently, he spoke about his band’s upcoming performance at the inauguration, admitting that while “some of you won’t like it,” they do so out of the belief that “music should be performed without regard for politics.”

Around the same time, Willis, who has consistently denied that “YMCA” is a gay anthem, repeated the same claim last month. “As I have said many times in the past, this is a false assumption based on the fact that my writing partner was gay, and some (not all) members of the Village People were gay, and that the first Village People album was all about gay music life,” he said.

The use of “YMCA” in US politics also dates back to 2020, when a crowd outside the White House played the song to troll Trump following his loss to Joe Biden.