Donald Trump’s long-standing fondness for the Village People’s hit “Y.M.C.A.” resurfaced this week under unexpected circumstances—this time at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
While the disco classic has been widely embraced as a gay anthem—thanks to its roots in queer subculture, the band’s image, and lyrical double meanings—Trump has regularly used it at his rallies, often swaying and pumping his fists to its beat. Yet this latest use has raised eyebrows, given Saudi Arabia’s stance on homosexuality, where same-sex relations are criminalised and can carry severe punishments, including prison, flogging, deportation, and even the death penalty.
“So, Mohammed, I want to thank you again very much for having me,” Trump said at the forum, addressing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “As a representative of what I think is the greatest nation in the world, we are with you all the way, and you have a tremendous future. Thank you very much. And please pay my respects to your father.”
Immediately after his remarks, “Y.M.C.A.” played as the audience applauded and the crown prince joined him on stage. While Trump did not dance this time, the music choice reignited a complex discussion around the song’s meaning and Trump’s continued use of it in politically sensitive settings.
A Song With Two Lives
The Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” has long been read as a celebration of gay culture, with lyrics hinting at the cruising culture associated with the YMCA gyms in the 1970s. David Hodo, who portrayed the group’s construction worker, has said the song was “absolutely” intended to celebrate gay men at the YMCA, adding: “And gay people love it.”
However, the band’s co-founder and songwriter Victor Willis, who is heterosexual, has maintained the song isn’t about sexuality. “It’s merely dedicated to my youth at the eponymous fitness community centers,” Willis has claimed. Still, the ambiguity has only fuelled debate.
Willis made headlines last December when he threatened legal action against media outlets that describe “Y.M.C.A.” as a gay anthem, insisting the term misrepresents the song. Despite this, he acknowledged that its continued use—particularly by Trump—has boosted the song’s popularity and revenue.
Though Willis initially requested Trump stop using Village People music during his 2020 campaign, citing complaints and the president’s divisive rhetoric, he later reversed his stance. “He was having a lot of fun,” Willis said. “I didn’t have the heart to stop him.”
Cultural Criticism and “Straight-Washing”
Michael Musto, a prominent LGBTQ+ cultural critic, sees the mainstream use of “Y.M.C.A.” as an example of cultural appropriation. “All these years later, the gay subtext is gone, and it’s a rah-rah crowd-pleaser for the baseball stadium crowd,” he said. “It happens. A rallying song for the oppressed turns into a middle-of-the-road spirit-lifter, mainly because the straights like to steal things from the gays, take away all the scary edge, and make it their own.”
In that light, the song’s appearance in a country with harsh anti-LGBTQ+ laws is especially fraught, highlighting the disconnect between the song’s origins and its current use by political figures.
