Harris-supporting Village People singer grateful Trump keeps dancing to 'Y.M.C.A.'

A member of the popular 1970s band the Village People is grateful to President-elect Donald Trump for making the group's classic tune "Y.M.C.A." great again.

In a lengthy Facebook post on Monday, 73-year-old Victor Willis — the self-described "singer and writer of the lyrics" for "Y.M.C.A." — claimed that he has "benefited greatly" from Trump's use of the song at his campaign rallies.

"Y.M.C.A. was stuck at #2 on the Billboard chart prior to the President Elect’s use," Willis wrote. "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."

Willis added that the "financial benefits" have been nice too, claiming that the song has grossed "several million dollars" since Trump began playing it.

'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 was not always fond of Trump using the song. Four years ago, Willis asked him to stop, claiming that the complaints he had received about the song's use during Trump events had become a "nuisance."

However, there were some complications associated with asking Trump to cease using the song. For one thing, Willis admitted, the Trump campaign had "every right" to continue playing the song at rallies, despite Willis' misgivings, because it had "obtained a political use license from BMI," a performance rights organization.

Additionally, Willis' view on the subject began to soften after he realized that Trump seemed "to genuinely like Y.M.C.A." and was "having a lot of fun with it," he said. At that point, Willis said he "didn’t have the heart to prevent" Trump from continuing to use the song, especially since so many other artists had withdrawn their works from his rally playlists.

Now that "Y.M.C.A." has become a hit once again on account of Trump's rallies and iconic dance moves, Willis, who supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, has fully changed his tune. "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 wrote.

In his post, Willis also took issue with people calling "Y.M.C.A." a "gay anthem," calling that label "misguided" and even "defamatory." Though Willis acknowledged that some members of the Village People are gay and that gay men may have met up at their local Y to engage in unsavory "activities," the song was never about gay people or a gay lifestyle.

"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 explained.

"Get your minds out of the gutter."

Willis, who has been married to his second wife for 17 years, even threatened to take legal action against any outlet that refers to "Y.M.C.A." as a "gay anthem," beginning next month.

He believes that, if anything, "Y.M.C.A." is popular because of its "appeal to people of all [stripes] including President Elect Trump."

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