Donald Trump closes out rally with Village People and ‘Y.M.C.A.’ dance

Donald Trump is ringing in his victory in the 2024 Presidential election the expected way: by becoming the seventh member of the Village People.

The incoming 47th president, who has long used songs from the catalog of the iconic ’70s disco band at his rallies and political events, brought the group on stage to close out the “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” on Sunday. Trump shimmied to the group’s classic disco hit “Y.M.C.A.” alongside new members of the group Javier Perez, James Lee, J.J. Lippold, James Kwong, and Nicholas Manelick and Victor Willis, the only remaining member of the original Village People lineup and de facto band leader.

The program for Monday’s inauguration festivities and the Victory Rally were released on Jan. 13. Willis responded to the prompt backlash to their inclusion in the itinerary with a post on the band’s official Facebook page that read in part, “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.”

Though several members of the band’s original lineup identified as queer, Willis is straight, and has dismissed readings of songs like “Y.M.C.A.” and “Macho Man” as “gay anthems.” Willis wrote on Facebook in December,

“There’s been a lot of talk, especially of late, that ‘Y.M.C.A.’ is somehow a gay anthem. As I’ve said numerous times in the past, that is a false assumption based on the fact that my writing partner was gay, and some (not all) of Village People were gay, and that the first Village People album was totally about gay life.”

After more backlash following the inauguration performance announcement, Willis posted a follow-up to the band’s Facebook on Jan. 16 that stated “our performances are not an [endorsement] of the President Elect’s policies no matter what you say to the contrary.”

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Willis also clarified that the members of the band “believe that music should be shared across political spectrum and not preserved for one political side. But here’s the sad truth, if our preferred candidate (Kamala Harris), had won, Village People would never have been invited to perform at her inauguration. She would have chosen the likes of John Legend and Beyoncé, etc.”

At his 2021 inauguration, President Joe Biden tapped the likes of Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and Garth Brooks as performers.

Village People weren’t the only musicians to perform at the rally. Longtime Trump supporter Kid Rock took to the stage to play several of his songs, as did Billy Ray Cyrus, and the choir from Liberty University.

Headlining tomorrow’s inaugural proceedings is country star and former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood. According to a copy of the inaugural program obtained by Entertainment Weekly, Underwood will perform “America the Beautiful” alongside the Armed Forces Chorus and United States Naval Academy Glee Club.

In a statement to EW, Underwood offered as her reason for accepting Trump’s invitation to perform, “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”