{"id":2376454,"date":"2024-12-04T20:41:01","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T01:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/village-people-singer-defends-and-thanks-trump-for-using-his-ymca-song-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-12-04T20:43:15","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T01:43:15","slug":"village-people-singer-defends-and-thanks-trump-for-using-his-ymca-song-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/village-people-singer-defends-and-thanks-trump-for-using-his-ymca-song-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Village People singer defends and thanks Trump for using his \u2018YMCA\u2019 song &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvillage-people-singer-defends-and-thanks-trump-for-using-his-ymca-song-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2376454&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Victor Willis, the lead singer of the Village People,\u2063 publicly defended and thanked Donald Trump for \u200cusing the band&#8217;s hit song\u200b &#8220;Y.M.C.A.&#8221; during his campaign\u2062 events. In a Facebook post, Willis\u2063 noted \u2064that while\u2063 he previously asked Trump to stop using the song due to\u200d numerous complaints from fans, he realized that Trump genuinely enjoys &#8220;Y.M.C.A.&#8221; and has fun with it. Despite a trend where other artists where rejecting Trump&#8217;s use of their \u200bmusic,Willis decided\u200b not to withdraw the licensing for Trump\u2019s use of the song,stating he didn&#8217;t want to prevent Trump&#8217;s enjoyment in\u200b light of\u2063 many\u200d artists backing away. \u200dHe aimed to \u2063clarify \u2064that &#8220;Y.M.C.A.&#8221; is\u200d not solely a gay \u200canthem,\u200d addressing misconceptions about \u200dthe song&#8217;s meaning.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Village People singer defends and thanks Trump for using his &lsquo;YMCA&rsquo; song<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1902581\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/celebrities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Victor Willis\">Victor Willis<\/a>, lead singer of the music group the Village People, wrote a lengthy defense of President-elect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> using his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-try-to-balance-hollywood-and-middle-america-at-convention-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Democrats try to balance Hollywood and middle America at convention - Washington Examiner\">hit song &#038;ldquo<\/a>;Y.M.C.A.&rdquo; and corrected the belief that the song was a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lgbt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"gay\">gay<\/a> anthem.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Willis explained <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/officialvictorwillis\/posts\/pfbid02v6qGBYYJAsP6Lde6jdMnP8HD8ynZaEdkr7q3yCLJqBLNesEUcC3rbeH25DEvTSpl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"in his Facebook post\">in his Facebook post<\/a> on Monday that he had initially asked Trump to &ldquo;stop using Y.M.C.A. because his use had become a nuissance&rdquo; to him since 2020 due to &ldquo;the thousands&rdquo; of fan complaints that he received over the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-complaints-about-harris-swapping-with-biden-being-a-sucker-punch-leak-out-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Vance complaints about Harris swapping with Biden being a \u2018sucker punch\u2019 leak out - Washington Examiner\">presidential campaign&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s usage of the song.<\/p>\n<p>He noticed that other music artists were rejecting Trump&rsquo;s use of their songs and admitted to his wife that Trump &ldquo;seems to genuinely like Y.M.C.A. and he&rsquo;s having a lot of fun with it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump dances during the playing of the song YMCA by the Village People, as he works the crowd after holding a campaign rally at the Altoona-Blair County Airport in Martinsburg, Pa, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. (AP Photo\/Gene J. Puskar)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;I <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-j-d-vance-wing-of-the-republican-party-is-not-a-passing-trend\/\" title=\"The J.D. Vance Wing of the Republican Party is not a passing trend\">simply didn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t have the heart to prevent his continued use of my song in the face of so many artists withdrawing his use of their material. So I told my wife to inform BMI to not withdraw the Trump campaign political use license,&rdquo; Willis explained. &ldquo;My French partners were contemplating legal action out of France. So I had my wife contact our French partners and asked them to stay out of the Trump campaign&rsquo;s use of Y.M.C.A. because it is a U.S. matter, and I will make the decision on his use. Our French partners quickly backed off of their objection to his use.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The founding Village People member said that his group has &ldquo;benefited greatly from use by the President Elect.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Y.M.C.A. was stuck at #2 on the Billboard chart prior to the President Elect&rsquo;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&rsquo;s use,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Willis added, &ldquo;The financial benefits have been great as well as Y.M.C.A. is estimated to gross several million dollars since the President Elect&rsquo;s continued use of the song. Therefore, I&rsquo;m glad I allowed the President Elect&rsquo;s continued use of Y.M.C.A. And I thank him for choosing to use my song.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump made the song a regular dance feature of his rallies where he did a fist pump motion and several dance steps to the song that became<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DavidJHarrisJr\/status\/1858543143656014021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\" a nationwide dance craze\"> a nationwide dance craze<\/a> on social media and television. Athletes from the NFL to the UFC and even <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">world leaders began spontaneously breaking<\/a> out into the signature Trump Y.M.C.A dance.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Here&#8217;s something to get your Monday going!! <\/p>\n<p>America is back and the Trump effect is spreading across the world like wildfire! &#128293;&#127482;&#127480; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yMLoLxTSAp\">pic.twitter.com\/yMLoLxTSAp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; David J Harris Jr (@DavidJHarrisJr) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DavidJHarrisJr\/status\/1858543143656014021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 18, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>The singer also made a correction of a widely believed assumption that the song was a &ldquo;gay anthem.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/original-ymca-singer-explains-why-he-let-trump-use-the-song-answers-gay-anthem-claims\/\" title=\"Original &#039;YMCA&#039; Singer Explains Why He Let Trump Use the Song, Answers &#039;Gay Anthem&#039; Claims\">false assumption based<\/a> 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,&rdquo; Willis corrected the record.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He continued, &ldquo;This assumption is also based on the fact that the YMCA was apparently being used as some sort of gay hangout and since one of the writers was gay and some of the Village People are gay, the song must be a message to gay people. To that I say once again, get your minds out of the gutter. It is not.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Sadly, when the President Elect started using the song, people attempting to brand the song as a gay anthem reached a fever pitch as many used it to say, oh, Trump don&rsquo;t know the song is a gay anthem? This was done in a manner to attempt to shame the President Elect&rsquo;s use of the song,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1902581\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1902581\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Village People singer Victor Willis defends Trump\u2019s use of \u201cY.M.C.A.\u201d and clarifies it\u2019s not a \u201cgay anthem.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2678,"featured_media":2376455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Trump-dancing-to-YMCA.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3634,46147,14892],"class_list":["post-2376454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-trump","tag-village-people","tag-ymca"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Trump-dancing-to-YMCA.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2376454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2678"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2376454"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2376454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2376458,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2376454\/revisions\/2376458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2376455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2376454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2376454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2376454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}