Watch: Donald Trump Calls 'YMCA' 'The Gay National Anthem'
On the Full Send podcast released on Wednesday, ex-President Donald Trump explained how he curates the music played at Mar-a-Lago parties and that the Village People classic is one of his faves, according to Newsweek.
You know what gets them rocking? 'YMCA.'"
He then said: "'YMCA', the gay national anthem. Did you ever hear that? They call it the gay national anthem," he said. "But 'YMCA' gets people up and it gets them moving."
"Trump confirmed that he does not physically DJ, or 'spin' at these parties, but that he 'picks the tracks I like,'" Newsweek said.
"Trump added that his choice of song to follow the 1978 disco hit is 'maybe' Sam & Dave's 1966 track 'Hold On, I'm Comin.'"
Trump played the song, along with another Village People hit "Macho Man," at rallies, but not without issues. "After initially allowing Trump to use the songs, Victor Willis, vocalist and co-founder of the Village People, demanded Trump stop playing the tracks at his rallies after Black Lives Matter protesters in Washington, D.C., were aggressively cleared from Lafayette Square in June 2020," Newsweek said.
The article also quoted a Willis Facebook post that, at the time, said: "If Trump orders the U.S. military to fire on his own citizens (on U.S. soil), Americans will rise up in such numbers outside of the White House that he might be forced out of office prior to the election."
"Don't do it Mr. President! And I ask that you no longer use any of my music at your rallies especially 'Y.M.C.A.' and 'Macho Man.' Sorry, but I can no longer look the other way."
But Newsweek added: "Despite being told to cease and desist, Trump played the track at the very end of his presidency as he boarded Air Force One for the final time at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on January 20, 2020."