Village People to Perform at Trump’s Inauguration
The disco band Village People, which once distanced itself from Donald Trump, will perform at various events celebrating his inauguration.
Village People, the disco band whose members dress as “macho” male characters, announced it will perform at events celebrating President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next week.
“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,” Victor Willis, the band’s lead singer and the only remaining original group member wrote in a recent Facebook post. Willis portrays “the cop.”
“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,” Willis wrote. “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.”
Village People is scheduled to perform at an inaugural eve ball hosted by the MAGA activist group Turning Point USA.
High-profile guests whose attendance at the event has been confirmed include Vice President-elect JD Vance; Trump’s son, Donald Trump, Jr.; Vivek Ramaswamy, co-head of the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency; border czar Tom Homan; Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee to head the FBI; Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence; and Trump advisor Stephen Miller.
Other prominent guests include a host of extreme right-wing, anti-LGBTQ media personalities, including Ben Shapiro, Megyn Kelly, Glenn Beck, Michael Knowles, Matt Walsh, and anti-trans activist Riley Gaines.
Turning Point USA’s founder, Charlie Kirk, has promoted Christian nationalism and right-wing ideological causes, often platforming white supremacist ideology and frequently demonizing members of the LGBTQ community.
Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” — which was enthusiastically embraced by the gay community in the 1970s — is now a staple of Trump’s political rallies, during which the president-elect, to the beat of the song, clenches his fists and stiffly and awkwardly moves his arms back and forth in a mortifying “great granddad” dance move. At times, he looks like he’s pulling an imaginary string through his head.
For decades, people have alleged that Village People’s costumes and songs were “coded” to appeal to members of the LGBTQ community.
Critics of Trump have accused the president-elect and his ardent followers of hypocrisy for promoting a song that has long been considered an iconic “gay anthem.”
Willis, however, has insisted that there is no hidden meaning to the group’s manner of dress or the lyrics of their songs.
In fact, Willis recently threatened to sue “each and every news organization that falsely refers to ‘Y.M.C.A.’, either in their headlines or alluded to in the base of the story, that ‘Y.M.C.A.’ is somehow a gay anthem.”
In 2020, Willis, who is heterosexual, had asked Trump to stop playing “Y.M.C.A.” and other Village People songs at rallies. Three years later, the group’s manager sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump’s campaign team for playing their song “Macho Man” at an event at the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Willis has since changed his mind, saying he appreciates that Trump “seems to genuinely like the song.” (The presumed increase in royalty checks probably doesn’t hurt either.)
The LGBTQ community appears to have soured on the song due to its association with Trump.
Several Facebook comments on the Village People’s Facebook page accused the band of “selling out” to curry favor with the incoming president. Gay cultural critic Michael Musto has even gone as far as to say the song has been “straight-washed.”
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