PoliticsDonald Trump Reveals Melania 'Hates' When He Dances to 'Gay' 1970s Hit 'Y.M.C.A.': 'It’s Not Presidential'
Donald Trump's favorite song to dance to is 'Y.M.C.A.'
May 2 2026, Published 11:11 a.m. ET
Donald Trump's favorite song to dance to is something one might not expect — the Village People‘s 1978 disco hit “Y.M.C.A.”
The president, 79, spoke on Friday, May 1, at Florida's The Villages retirement community where he joked that his wife Melania isn't a fan of the tune.
Melania Trump Doesn't Approve of Her Husband's Dance Moves
Donald Trump said wife Melania 'hates' when he dances to the Village People's hit 'Y.M.C.A.'
"[She] hates when I dance to what’s sometimes referred to as ‘the gay national anthem,’ you know that,” Trump chuckled. “We love that song!"
“She goes, ‘Darling, please’ — you know, she’s a very elegant woman — she goes, ‘Darling, please don’t dance. It’s not presidential,'” he said.
Donald Trump Loves to Use 'Y.M.C.A.' at His Rallies
The president often breaks into the 'Y.M.C.A.' dance at his rallies.
The politician then dropped it low and broke into a little “Y.M.C.A." dance routine and ended his speech with a golf swing movement.
Trump is known to end his many political rallies with a fist-pumping “Y.M.C.A." dance as he leaves the stage.
As for the idea the hit is popular with the LGBTQ community, the lyrics croon: "Many ways to have a good time... it’s fun to stay at the YMCA."
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Donald Trump discussed his love for the Village People during an event in Florida on May 1.
According to Genius' lyrics analysis, the song connotes "gay men having s-- in the YMCA" and implies males like to have fun together.
Melania, 56, told Fox News host Jesse Watters earlier this year about her husband's obsession with the song, saying: “I like it at certain times. Some days it’s not appropriate, and I told him so. But it’s his dance and I think people love it.”
The former model added she even performed the dance herself at Trump’s inauguration last year, but “it’s different than his.”
However, the Village People’s manager, Karen Willis, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump in 2023 and demanded he stop playing their songs at his events.
The Village People Performed at Donald Trump's Inauguration Bashes in 2025
The Village People performed at several inauguration events in 2025.
But in January 2025 during Trump's inauguration events, the band wound up performing “Y.M.C.A."
“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 group said at the time about the businessman using their music.
“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. Therefore, we believe it’s now time to bring the country together with music which is why VILLAGE PEOPLE will be performing at various events as part of the 2025 Inauguration of Donald J. Trump.”
