Donald Trump has shared a message honoring Village People singer and “Y.M.C.A.” cowriter Victor Willis, who died at the age of 74 on Tuesday (June 30).
In a post on Truth Social one day after the musician’s death, Trump commemorated him as “a great and happy guy who loved that I used his groups song, YMCA, at my Rallies.”
“It became a ‘monster’ hit, again, 30 years after its original launch,” the president continued. “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! They loved the action, and we loved them and their great and uplifting song.”
“We will think of Victor every time YMCA is played, like today, and all throughout this July Fourth Birthday week,” Trump added. “My condolences to his wonderful family and group, Victor Willis will be sorely missed, God Bless Him!!!”
Willis’ family announced his death Wednesday morning (July 1) via a post on Facebook, noting that he’d been battling a “short but aggressive illness.” The star was behind four of Village People’s five Billboard Hot 100 entries, helping pen “Macho Man,” “In the Navy” and “Go West” in addition to “Y.M.C.A.,” which — as mentioned by Trump — was a favorite song of the president’s in recent years. Willis had originally requested that he cease using the No. 2 hit at campaign events, but had a change of heart in 2024.
“He has continued to use the song because he’s legally entitled to do so because he took the time to apply for a political use license,” Willis wrote of Trump on Facebook at the time. “I am not going to sue the President over his use of ‘Y.M.C.A.’ because it’s stupid and just plain hateful.”
A couple of months later, Willis doubled down on his stance while slamming the classification of “Y.M.C.A.” by some people as a “gay anthem.” “‘Trump’ seems to genuinely like Y.M.C.A. and he’s having a lot of fun with it,” the artist wrote, also highlighting the song’s resurgence in listeners, which he credited to the POTUS. “As such, I simply didn’t have the heart to prevent his continued use of my song in the face of so many artists withdrawing his use of their material.”
In January 2025, Willis would reunite with his Village People bandmates to perform “Y.M.C.A.” at Trump’s inauguration festivities in Washington, D.C.
