What is the Trump dance? A slow victory shimmy to ‘YMCA' with pumping fists, facial expression
In a nutshell, it's a robotic twist with subtle movements of the hips, arms and little feet movement. Sometimes, there's a facial expression.
Though President Donald Trump has long been known for his big personality way before his first and second term in the White House, the billionaire's signature "Trump dance" is actually quite subdued − and not flashy. You may have seen him perform it to the tune of 'YMCA' by the Village People.
It's also a gif, a meme, a hashtag and part of the pop culture vernacular. For example, the "Snoopy dance," based on Charles M. Schulz's 'Peanuts' and Charlie Brown cartoons, symbolizes happiness and triumph. That also is a gif, meme, hashtag and dance of joy.
When someone demonstrates the Trump dance or uses it as a gif, that typically symbolizes "winning," also another Trump reference used by the president.
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Here's what we know about #TrumpDance along with its origins and use with the Village People's popular "YMCA."
The Trump dance, originated by Donald Trump during "Make America Great Again" rallies and campaign stops in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, is a little shake of the hips, fists or palms out at the side and feet typically planted on the ground. There's usually a facial expression, too − a semi-serious pout, eyebrows down or a small smile and eyebrows up (see photo gallery or videos with this story).
Sometimes there are props or "air" props:
On Nov. 3, 2024, at a campaign event in Macon, Georgia, Trump advisor Dan Scavino Jr. snapped a video of the then-presidential candidate doing the Trump dance and mimicking a golf swing. Trump was doing the Trump dance to "YMCA" by the Village People.
In January 2025, at the commander-in-chief ball during Inauguration Day festivities, Trump was about to cut his Air Force One revamp-themed cake with a sword, but then he stopped to do the Trump dance while brandishing the sword. And for a few seconds, First Lady Melania Trump briefly jumped in to do the Trump dance, too, moving her hips and waving her palms up and smiling.
The Trump dance is also a gif on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and X, and it's available for texting on iPhone and Android.
The Trump dance is far from the "YMCA dance" made famous by the Village People. In the YMCA dance, people use their arms to form the letters Y, M, C and A to the tune of the song, much like cheerleaders or dance teams would at a high school or professional football team.
The Trump dance is very little movement in the arms, hips and feet whereas in the YMCA dance, people are encouraged to open the arms wide for the Y, curl them in for the M, lean over for the C and make raise them up high and angular for the A. They also typically sing along and yell the letters as they make them with their limbs.
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Though people most associate the Village People with the Trump dance, the Trump dance is silent and sometimes done without music. Recently, Donald Trump Jr. posted video of his father's Trump dance as an Instagram Reel on April 21, 2024, at First Lady Melania Trump's event, the 147th White House Easter Egg Roll (see below). That video had more than 2.3 million views on the social platform.
In some cases, there's a different song altogether: at a Bronx rally in May 2024, Donald Trump entered the arena doing the Trump dance to Sam and Dave's 'Hold On, I'm coming.'
It appears Donald Trump isn't the only Trump who does the Trump dance: Donald Trump Jr. posted video of his father, stepmother Melania Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk doing the Trump dance at the New Year's Eve party Dec. 31, 2024, at President Donald Trump's private club, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump dance: Slow hip shake, finger points tied to Village People, YMCA
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