Noted music connoisseur Donald J. Trump has penned a tribute to Village People co-founder Victor Willis who died on Tuesday following a “a short but aggressive illness.” The 47th President described Willis as a jovial individual and someone who loved to perform for the MAGA crowd at the president’s various rallies.
“[Willis] was a great and happy guy who loved that I used his group’s song, ‘Y.M.C.A.,’ at my Rallies. It became a ‘monster’ hit, again, 30 years after its original launch,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Many singers and groups wanted to get on board at the Rallies after all of the Rally Attendance Records were set — The crowds were, and are, enormous — But Victor and the group was there for us right from the beginning!”
He continued: “They loved the action, and we loved them and their great and uplifting song. We will think of Victor every time ‘Y.M.C.A.’ is played, like today, and all throughout this July Fourth Birthday week. My condolences to his wonderful family and group, Victor Willis will be sorely missed, God Bless Him!!!”
Willis co-founded the Village People alongside producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo in 1977. Willis, the police-officer character of the disco group, was the sole member from their original lineup upon his death.
Their disco hit “Y.M.C.A.” was released in 1978 and Willis is credited as a co-writer on the track. Due to the band’s roots in queer music and themes, many consider “Y.M.C.A.” as a “gay anthem,” but Willis disagreed with this interpretation. “I don’t mind if gay people want to claim it as a gay anthem for them,” Willis said in 2025. “My thing is that when anybody wants to make a story on it, and they say ‘gay anthem’ because of the illicitness of the lyrics, that’s incorrect, because there’s nothing in my lyrics that says anything about gayness or gay acts at the ‘Y.M.C.A.’ If you’re going to say anything, just say ‘anthem.’”
Trump first began using “Y.M.C.A.” at his rallies in 2020 without authorization from Willis and the Village People. Willis initially pushed back on Trump’s usage of the song and even considered suing him. In 2023, Trump used the track again at Mar-a-Lago and had performers dress like the band during the performance. Victor’s wife and attorney Karen Willis sent a ceast-and-desist to Trump to halt “any such further unauthorized use of the Village People image in association with the songs and his campaign (or in his personal capacity).” But upon Trump winning the 2024 presidential election, Willis softened his stance and authorized Trump to use the song at his behest.
“I’m a Democrat, so basically he wasn’t the candidate I voted for,” Willis said. “But afterwards, it was a situation where we believe that whoever won, won, and that you’re supposed to get behind whoever the president is until he does something incorrect to us. We felt that it was only appropriate to stand behind who won the presidency.”
In 2025, Willis appeared onstage with a revamped Village People lineup and Trump to perform “Y.M.C.A.” on the eve of his second presidential inauguration. “We know this [won’t] make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics,” the Village People wrote on social media. “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.”
