President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to pay tribute to Victor Willis, the Village People star who died on Monday.
Willis was one of the men behind the legendary disco outfit Village People’s global chartbuster track, Y.M.C.A. The song had long become a staple at sporting events, victory celebrations, and wedding parties before Donald Trump used it extensively in his political rallies from 2020 onwards. In his tribute, Trump played the song on repeat, apart from showering words of praise.
Victor Willis of Village People dies at 74 as Donald Trump responds on social media with a tribute
Describing Willis, 74, as “a great and happy guy who loved” Trump’s use of YMCA at political rallies, the POTUS said he will be “sorely missed.”
“We will think of Victor every time YMCA is played, like today, and all throughout this July Fourth Birthday week,” Trump said on his Truth Social post. He argued that the use of the song in political rallies led to the song becoming “a ‘monster’ hit, again, 30 years after its original launch.”
According to TMZ, Willis died Monday after an aggressive illness.
Trump wrote that many singers and groups wanted to join his rallies after his political campaign events began drawing “enormous” crowds, but Willis remained special because the group supported him from the very beginning. “We loved them and their great and uplifting song,” he wrote.
According to The Guardian, released in October 1978, the song was co-written by Willis, Jacques Morali, and Henri Belolo. In 2020, Willis objected to Trump’s use of the song during campaign rallies, but later changed his mind and, from 2025, started performing at Trump rallies using the group name Village People, even though he was the sole original member of the group.
Now, Trump wants to make sure he responds to his late supporter’s death with a proper tribute.
DO YOU THINK TRUMP’S USE OF YMCA GAVE THE SONG A FRESH LEASE OF LIFE IN POPULARITY?
Originally reported by Sreemanti Sengupta on Mandatory
