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And Finally Artist News
Village People ask Donald Trump to stop walking on stage to Macho Man
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 9 June 2020
The Village People have become the latest musicians to request that Donald Trump stop using their music at his rallies – despite them previously saying that they had no issue with it. However, in the wake of the President’s response to the recent Black Lives Matter protests in the US, the group’s Victor Willis has said they’ve now changed their minds.
Trump has often used ‘YMCA’ and ‘Macho Man’ at rallies – sometimes walking on stage to the latter, which is a move so lacking in subtlety and awareness of subtext that it pretty much sums him up better than any essay.
The Village People previously commented on his use of the song when he walked on stage to it at a political event in India. Back then, the group said in a statement that the use of their songs by Trump had always been done legally, adding: “He has remained respectful in his use of our songs and has not crossed the line; if he or any other candidate were to use any of our songs in a manner that would suggest our endorsement, or in a promotional advertisement, that would cross the line”.
However, last week a line was crossed that has changed that view, when Trump’s idea of being a ‘macho man’ shifted to threatening violence against US citizens.
After Trump suggested that he would send in the US military to shoot people protesting the controversial death of George Floyd, Willis said on his personal Facebook page: “If Trump orders the US military to fire on his own citizens (on US 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”, he added. “And I ask that you no longer use any of my music at your rallies especially ‘YMCA’ and ‘Macho Man’. Sorry, but I can no longer look the other way”.
Trump has not responded, but we’ll see if Village People songs disappear from his rallies if and when he’s able to start running them again.
