President-elect Donald Trump performed his signature fist-pumping dance move while flanked by the Village People at a campaign-style rally in Washington, D.C. Sunday night, as he took a victory lap one day before he is sworn in for a second term.
The popular 70s disco group, whose 1978 song YMCA has been a staple at Trump rallies for years appeared with him at Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again Victory Rally’ at the Capital One Arena.
The anthem closed out nearly all of Trump’s campaign rallies. Trump appeared thrilled with the performance as he swayed on stage, bopped his head and sang along as they performed in front of cheering crowds.
He shook the hands of several band members before and after the show – something of a turnaround in relations after the band send him a cease and desist in 2023 for him stop using their music after ‘Macho Man’ was played at a Mar-a-Lago event
There were plenty of Trump-supporting celebrities and thousands of supporters filled nearly all of the 20,000-plus-seats at the stadium in downtown Washington.
It marked Trump’s first major speech in D.C. since he urged his supporters to march on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, who has become a close Trump confidant since spending more than $250 million to boost his campaign, also spoke at the event along with Vice President-elect JD Vance, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, conservative activist Charlie Kirk and conservative commentator Megyn Kelly.
Singer and rapper Kid Rock and singers Billy Ray Cyrus and 82-year-old Lee Greenwood all performed at the rally.
The Village People flanked President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday night as he took a victory lap with a campaign-style rally in Washington, D.C., a day before he is sworn in for a second term
President-elect Donald Trump dances along side The Village People at his rally
In an unusual move, Trump entered at the arena’s concourse level and deliberately made his way down the stairs before his speech, stopping frequently to pump his fist and pose for pictures with rallygoers.
The event also featured a performance by Kid Rock, who performed We The People and All Summer Long despite a cold mix of rain and snow falling outside.
‘Is MAGA in the house?’ the rock star yelled to cheers and applause from the gathered Trump supporters.
Kid Rock also performed at the Republican National Convention last summer.
Others taking the stage included singer Lee Greenwood, 82, whose ‘God Bless the USA’ is a Trump favorite and always played at his election rallies.
Billy Ray Cyrus, father of artist and former Disney star, Miley Cyrus, also performed.
Last August the ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ singer signaled his support for Trump in a post on Facebook.
‘I stand here with former U.S. president Donald J. Trump as a proud American,’ Cyrus wrote above a photo of him giving a thumbs-up with the incoming president.
Many of the artists present will also be performing on Monday too as part of the inaugural celebrations.
Besides Village People and country star Carrie Underwood, Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, Gavin DeGraw and Jason Aldean have all been lined up to play.
Billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk – who Trump has tasked with helping run a special commission to make the federal government more efficient – took to the stage and said ‘we’re looking forward to making a lot of changes.’
Musk vowed to do ‘great things’ and make America strong ‘for centuries.’
President-elect Donald Trump dances with The Village People at his rally
The YMCA anthem closed out nearly all of Trump’s campaign rallies
Trump swayed on stage, bopped his head and sang along as they performed in front of cheering crowds
Trump could be seen moving his fists back and forth in his signature dance move
Kid Rock performed at the start of the rally on Sunday afternoon
Kid Rock reveled in the adoration he received from the crowd at the raucous rally
Kid Rock performs at the Make America Great Again Victory Rally
Elon Musk also lapped up the atmosphere at the rally along side his son, X, who was loving it
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk smiles while standing next to his son during the rally
Lee Greenwood performed his hit song just as Donald Trump arrived at the rally
Lee Greenwood saluted Trump as he walked on stage at the rally on Sunday
Jon Voight, an actor named by Trump as a special ambassador to Hollywood, declared the president-elect ‘Our hero. A man who never gave up on the American people, and we the people never gave up on him.’
Voight, the father of Angelina Jolie, hailed Trump’s election win as ‘the greatest victory of all time’.
Trump also gave a shout out to Hulk Hogan who was in the crowd but did not appear on stage.
The former WWE star endorsed Trump during an appearance at the 2024 Republican National Convention in July.
‘Let Trump-a-mania run wild brother. Let Trump-a-mania rule again,’ he told the cheering crowd at the time.
On Sunday night Trump called him out: ‘Hulk Hogan is here! Some people are hard to find in a crowd. But, not the Hulk! All you have to say is ‘Hulk, stand up!’ And, there is is! He’s easy to spot.’
Podcaster Megyn Kelly spoke from the podium as she defined what free speech means in America saying to supporters ‘We have the right to offend, to provoke.’
Linda McMahon also received a shout out. She is currently nominated to be Education Secretary with a vote for her approval expected in the coming days.
Trump praised her business success with WWE.
Megyn Kelly waves during the rally
At President-elect Donald Trump’s rally in D.C. Megyn Kelly defined what free speech means in America saying ‘We have the right to offend, to provoke’
Dana White, who runs the UFC and was recently appointed to Meta in an attempt to fix their reputation after Facebook’s censorship of free speech also received a shout out from Trump while also speaking at Sunday’s rally
Actor Jon Voight spoke at the victory rally. The actor has been named by Trump as a special ambassador to Hollywood
Other attendees at the rally included MAGA pillow entrepreneur Mike Lindell, left,
Attendees gathering for the Make America Great Again Victory Rally at the Capital One Arena
Attendees join in singing the National Anthem at the rally
Dana White, who runs the UFC and was recently appointed to Meta in an attempt to fix their reputation after Facebook’s censorship of free speech also received a shout out from Trump.
White also spoke at the rally celebrating Trump’s election victory.
Stephen Miller, Trump’s pick to be deputy chief of staff and a key architect of the administration’s promised hard-line immigration polices, vowed that ‘justice is coming.’
‘We are about to get our country back and our democracy back,’ Miller said, adding ‘Donald J. Trump is about to save this country.’
Trump, meanwhile, said he’d jump start his agenda with a series of unilateral actions from the White House, telling the crowd, ‘You´re going to see executive orders that are going to make you extremely happy. Lots of them.’
Much of Trump’s hour-long speech focused on immigration, driving home one of the dark messages that helped spur his remarkable victory in November’s presidential election over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
‘We’re going to stop the invasion of our borders,’ added Trump, who has pledged to launch raids targeting undocumented migrants within days of taking office.
But he also promised ‘lots’ of executive orders from his first day back in the Oval Office, including one to ban ‘transgender insanity’ and critical race theory from schools and to keep trans athletes out of women’s sports.
Trump also reiterated a promise to release files on the assassinations of former president John F. Kennedy, his brother Bobby Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.