Although the 1970s disco group the Village People has previously been OK with Donald Trump playing its music at rallies, the band just changed its tune.
On Friday, lead singer Victor Willis asked the president to stop playing songs like “Macho Man” and “Y.M.C.A.” if he goes through with threat to sic the military on peaceful protesters in America.
Willis, who co-wrote those classic songs, made the pointed request on Facebook and suggested that military action against U.S. citizens could lead to negative consequences for Trump’s reelection chances:
“If Trump orders the U.S. military to fire on his own citizens (on U.S. 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! And I ask that you no longer use any of my music at your rallies especially ‘Y.M.C.A.’ and ‘Macho Man.’
“Sorry, but I can’t support what you’re proposing.”
Willis stuck to his guns when fans pressed him on the post, emphasizing that “peacefully protesting [outside] the White House in massive numbers demanding [Trump] resign is not storming the White House. That’s democracy.”
It’s a far cry from February, when the band took a different tack from acts like R.E.M., Aerosmith and Rihanna, who have demanded Trump not play their music at rallies.
Back then, they had no problems with their music appearing at the president’s rallies.
“Since our music is not being used for a specific endorsement, the President’s use is ‘perfect[ly]’ legal,” the band said in a statement. “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.”
Whether the president will actually respect the band’s request is unknown, but it’s a moot point as long as COVID-19 shutdowns keep Trump from holding the rallies.
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