'One Two One Two' Cute Dance Moves... Trump Revives a 46-Year-Old Song

'YMCA' Used as a Theme During the Presidential Election
Hits No.1 on Billboard Dance Chart
Musk Also Showcases 'Combi Dance'

Thanks to President-elect Trump, a 1970s song has climbed to number one on the Billboard Dance Songs chart after 46 years. The song is "YMCA" by the group Village People, released in 1978.

Donald Trump, President-elect of the United States, dancing to the music [Image source=X capture]

Local media recently reported that this song, used as background music for Donald Trump’s signature dance move, is regaining popular appeal. The song, themed around the YMCA community centers in the United States, was used like a theme song during the election period. Signs of its resurgence appeared starting in October. By the end of October, it reached 15th place on the Billboard Dance/Electronic chart, and in the third week of last month, it climbed to the top of the same chart. On Google, searches for "YMCA" surged, and according to Last.fm, a site that tracks song listening frequency, the number of plays for "YMCA" increased about threefold compared to before.

President-elect Trump’s affection for "YMCA" dates back to 2020. It began when he danced to the song near the end of his campaign rallies. The simple dance move involves clenching both fists, crossing the arms rhythmically, and bending and straightening them back and forth. As Trump’s approval ratings rose during the election, this dance move also gained popularity.

In February 2020, Village People initially permitted Trump to use "YMCA," but by June of the same year, Victor Willis, the group’s lead vocalist and co-writer of "YMCA," requested that the song not be played. However, the Trump campaign continued to use the song, claiming they had obtained a political organization license to do so. Willis said that when Trump first used the song, he thought it was "a nuisance," but later realized that "something very good started happening" as Trump kept using it.

At a Thanksgiving party held on the 28th of last month at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump joyfully tapped the table with his palms to the rhythm as "YMCA" played. Just before the most famous part of the song, "It's fun to stay at the YMCA~," Trump lightly tapped the shoulder of Elon Musk, who was seated to his right. In response, Musk stretched both hands into the air in rhythm with the lyrics "YMCA," as if on cue. The "combo dance" performed by Trump and Musk, seemingly rehearsed, thrilled the guests invited to the banquet hall.