'Bring the country together': Village People defend performing for Trump inauguration

Village People, the American disco group whose hits have been regulars at President-elect Trump's rallies and campaign events, defended their decision to perform during his inaugural activities next week.

The group posted a statement on Facebook announcing that they have accepted an invitation from the Trump campaign to participate in activities surrounding his second inauguration on Jan. 20, including an event that Trump is expected to attend.

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"We know this wont make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics," the group wrote on Monday.

Songs like the group's iconic anthem "Y.M.C.A." and "Macho Man," both of which came out in 1978, have consistently been a part of Trump's campaign playlists over the years -- the then-president went viral in 2020 for ending his rallies by dancing to "Y.M.C.A."

Village People is now made up of six members, with Victor Willis as the only original member.

"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," their statement said, in a reference to Vice President Kamala Harris.

"Therefore, we believe it's now time to bring the country together with music which is why VILLAGE PEOPLE will be performing at various events as part of the 2025 Inauguration of Donald J. Trump."

In 2023, the group's manager sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump's team after "Macho Man" was performed at a Mara-Lago event. Willis also took to social media during the 2020 campaign to call on Trump to stop using Village People's songs at his rallies

However, in a Dec. 2, 2024 Facebook post, Willis announced that he changed his mind.

The musician also reflected on his decision in an interview with Fox & Friends that aired last month, where he said that if the group was invited to perform at Trump's inauguration, they would have to "seriously consider" the opportunity.

Discussing why he changed his mind and allowed Trump to use "Y.M.C.A." at his rallies, Willis said that it was because Trump "seems to genuinely like the song."

Willis noted that while he was initially concerned about the use of "Y.M.C.A " amid backlash from fans, he eventually decided to contact BMI, the performing rights organization, and asked "not to terminate [Trump's] political use license because he seemed to be bringing so much joy to the American people with this use of 'Y.M.C.A.'"

When asked if the group plans to perform during Trump's inauguration, Willis said "no" because they would be concerned that a performance would be seen as an "endorsement."

However, after being asked if he would change his mind if Trump invited them to perform, he said that they would have to "seriously consider" it because Trump "has done so much for Y.M.C.A. and brought so much joy to so many people."

"Y.M.C.A," a single written by Willis and Jacques Morali for the group's 1978 album "Cruisin'," became an informal gay anthem over the years.

Willis pushed back on that characterization of the song in his Dec. 2 Facebook post, saying that he and Morali never intended for it to be so.

"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," Willis said.

"The true anthem is Y.M.C.A.'s appeal to people of all stripes including President Elect Trump. But the song is not really a gay anthem other than certain people falsely suggesting that it is. And this must stop because it is damaging to the song."