It’s no secret that Donald Trump is obsessed with the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” a gay anthem that many believe — because of its lyrics, the group’s history as a gayborhood disco act, and the song’s cowriter being a gay French man who lived in New York City — is about gay cruising at the iconic single room occupancy facilities/gyms. Trump played that song at many of his campaign stops, swaying to it awkwardly.

It’s also no secret that life isn’t easy for gay men in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is punishable by prison, flogging, deportation, and even death.

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“We know this won’t make some of you happy to hear,” the band’s heterosexual lead singer wrote.

So it was perhaps surprising to see Trump close his speech at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum 2025 in Riyadh earlier today by playing “Y.M.C.A.” as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman went up to shake his hand.

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“So, Mohammed I want to thank you again very much for having me,” Trump said. “And 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. Thank you very much.”

Then the music started to play as people applauded and bin Salman went on stage. Trump did not dance with the crown prince.

Trump repeatedly played “Y.M.C.A.” during his re-election campaign events and would occasionally pump his fists in the air to its beat. Willis has argued that the song itself isn’t gay and is merely dedicated to his youth at the eponymous fitness community centers. However, David Hodo, who performed as the band’s construction worker, said the song was “absolutely” written to celebrate gay men at the YMCA, adding “and gay people love it.”

Willis raised eyebrows last December when he announced that, starting in January, he will sue “each and every news organization that falsely refers to Y.M.C.A., either in their headlines or alluded to in the base of the story, that Y.M.C.A. is somehow a gay anthem.”

In his announcement, Willis basically said that the song’s renewed popularity is making him a lot of money. His position appeared to contradict his 2020 request that Trump no longer use any Village People music.

Willis, who is heterosexual, said he originally asked Trump to stop using the song because the number of people complaining to him about it “had become a nuisance,” though his original request suggested discontent with Trump’s threats on the American people.

However, Willis said he changed his mind because Trump was “having a lot of fun” with the song and he “didn’t have the heart” to stop him from using it.

Gay cultural critic Michael Musto believes that the song has been “straight-washed.”

“All these years later, the gay subtext is gone, and it’s a rah-rah crowd-pleaser for the baseball stadium crowd,” Musto said, noting the song’s popularity at sporting events. “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.”

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