Donald Trump’s love of “Y.M.C.A.” has reached the next level, as Village People will be performing at events during the incoming president’s upcoming inauguration. On January 13th, the band confirmed on Facebook that they have accepted an invitation to “participate in inaugural activities, including at least one event with President Elect Trump.”
Said the band on Facebook, “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. Therefore, we believe it’s now time to bring the country together with music.” The band’s post also went on to add, “We know this wont make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics” [sic]. According to The Hill, one of the performances will take place at Trump’s “victory rally” at Capital One Arena in Washington on the eve of the inauguration.
During the 2020 and 2024 campaigns, Trump frequently played both “Y.M.C.A.” and “Macho Man” at rallies, which stirred up controversy as founding member and songwriter Victor Willis disputed the claims that the former song was a “gay anthem.” Following Willis’ remarks, the group’s designated construction worker David Hodo spoke out in disagreement, leading to a public back-and-forth about the song’s relationship to the gay community.
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Also on the program for next week’s inauguration is Carrie Underwood. The American Idol winner and current judge will be performing “America the Beautiful” during the inaugration on January 20th, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.