The Village People frontman has done a complete 180 in his decision to block Donald Trump from using his band’s legendary track Y.M.C.A.—because the President-elect is “having fun.”
Trump made the song his own on the campaign trail, with his gingerly executed fist pumps and jerky hip movements making him golden meme material. Since he shook off COVID-19 and first showcased his now famous moves at a rally in Florida in 2020 to prove his vim, he has wheeled out the song—widely considered to be a gay anthem—dozens of times.
And despite initial hesitation to let the 78-year-old use the tune, Village People frontman Victor Willis, 72, says he has had a change of heart—because the MAGA man seems to really enjoy the 1978 track.
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“I noticed that Trump actually likes the song and that he really seems to have a lot of fun with it. And after paying attention to the way the song has gotten so much more attention since he’s been using it... people pay attention to the song again,” he told CNN’s Laura Coates while decked out in his famous cop uniform.
He added: “I told my wife to, you know, let him let him do his thing, you know, he, he likes the song, and that’s why I changed my mind.”
Willis also spoke about the “financial benefits” of Trump’s getting down to the track, saying it’s “estimated to gross several million dollars since the President Elect’s continued use of the song.”
“Therefore, I’m glad I allowed the President Elect’s continued use of Y.M.C.A. And I thank him for choosing to use my song,” Willis said.
Willis, who co-wrote the track, said that he has enjoyed watching athletes, celebrities, and internet users doing the dance.
“It’s an exciting moment, and it’s an exciting time that the song is resurging again, and it’s reaching such a high peak and, and I’m thankful and impressed.”
His comments echo a Facebook post Monday in which he spoke about his change of heart. His band had railed against Trump’s “abusive” use of the track after his last stint in the White House, calling him a “bully.”
However, in the post, Willis said he’s “thankful” to Trump for choosing it and added ominously that he and his wife will begin in January to sue news organizations that infer it is a gay anthem.
The song, whose lyrics go 'Young man… it’s time to hang out with all the boys!' was released on an album called Cruisin'.
Y.M.C.A stands for ‘Young Men’s Christian Association'—a non-profit organization that supports young people.
The movement became associated with homosexuality in the 70s, especially since gay ‘cruising’—the act of searching for sex in a hotspot—was popular in the org’s hostels.
Trump himself has called the song a “gay national anthem.”
