The Village People have changed their tune about Donald Trump’s use of their hit single, “Y.M.C.A.,” and which they would consider performing live at the President-elect’s inauguration, after once threatening lawsuits against him.
Speaking on “Fox & Friends First” on Thursday, Willis reflected on how Trump’s enthusiasm for the 1978 disco track sparked a wave of viral videos at campaign rallies, with supporters and even athletes joining in on the iconic dance.
Willis, who co-wrote the track, admitted that the revival of the song under Trump’s spotlight brought unexpected advantages, saying, “The financial benefits have been great.”
While the band hasn’t made a final decision on whether to perform at the inauguration, Willis noted, “If you were to ask me today if the Village People would perform at the inauguration, I would probably say not, because we’d be concerned about endorsement.”
THE RIGHT RHYTHM: Village People founding member Victor Willis reflects on President-elect Trump “bringing so much joy to the American people” by using the band’s classic hit “Y.M.C.A.” at his rallies, granting him permission to continue using the song at his future events. pic.twitter.com/t2aki7Og9Q
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 5, 2024
“Because the president-elect has done so much for ‘Y.M.C.A.’ and brought so much joy to so many people, the song has actually gone back to No. 1, and it’s still No. 1 today, so if he were to ask the Village People to perform the song live for him, we’d have to seriously consider it,” he added.
Initially, Willis wasn’t thrilled with Trump using the song. Back in 2020, he openly opposed its use at political events.
However, his perspective shifted over time. “I decided to allow the president-elect’s continued use of ‘Y.M.C.A.’ because he seems to genuinely, genuinely like the song and so many other artists were stopping him from using their music.”
Trump doing the signature YMCA dance while dressed as a sanitation worker is exactly what you need to just feel good.
Kamala could never. Biden could never. pic.twitter.com/OVT7AKLvVM
— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) October 31, 2024
He recounted contacting BMI, the performance rights organization, to ensure Trump retained the proper license to keep playing the song at events, “because he seemed to be bringing so much joy to the American people” by playing it.
Willis also shared on Facebook that “Y.M.C.A. was stuck at #2 on the Billboard chart prior to the President Elect’s use.”
“However, the song finally made it to #1 on a Billboard chart after over 45 years (and held on to #1 for two weeks) due to the President Elect’s use,” he wrote on Monday.
Willis also didn’t shy away from mentioning how financially beneficial Trump’s use had been. He claimed that thanks to Trump’s rallies, the song grossed “several million dollars” in revenue.
Contrary to his recent support, though, tensions certainly existed in the past. Four years ago, the band sent Trump a cease-and-desist letter demanding he stop playing their tracks.
Karen Willis, Victor Willis’ wife and the group’s manager, alleged in May of last year that Trump had hosted a performance by Village People impersonators at his Mar-A-Lago resort.
Surprised this isn’t banned in Florida. Trump dances poolside at Mar-a-Lago to performers dressed as The Village People. (Video: @MJisMAGA) pic.twitter.com/1UMzk00UrK
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) May 12, 2023
Fans were reportedly flooded with posts misunderstanding the impersonators for the real band, creating legal complications.
Citing all this, Karen Willis wrote a letter to Trump’s legal team, arguing that tolerating his continued use of their music could wrongly signal the band endorses him.
She demanded not only that he stop playing their songs during personal events but also remove them from his 2024 campaign playlist, threatening legal action otherwise.
Despite these complexities, the Trump campaign technically had every right to keep playing the song due to the proper political use license obtained from BMI.
This put Willis in a strange situation. While he wasn’t thrilled, Trump seemed to “genuinely like Y.M.C.A.” and was “having a lot of fun with it.”
At that point, Willis “didn’t have the heart to prevent” the president-elect from using it at rallies.
“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,” he noted.
Interestingly, Willis insists the public misinterprets “Y.M.C.A.” as a “gay anthem.” He’s been vocal about his frustrations with this label, calling it “misguided” and even “defamatory.”
“When I say, ‘hang out with all the boys’ that is simply 1970s black slang for black guys hanging-out together for sports, gambling or whatever. There’s nothing gay about that,” he pointed out.
He even warned media outlets against perpetuating this idea, threatening legal action starting next month if the term “gay anthem” continues to be associated with the song.
Willis said the song has had staying power because of its “appeal to people of all [stripes] including President Elect Trump.”