“Trump Dance” Takes Nation By Storm!

Op-Ed by Neenah Payne

When Trump played the infectious Village People’s 1978 tune “YMCA” at his rallies, he did his signature dance. The song is a celebration of masculinity of American youth of various races with very inspiring lyrics. Sports figures and people across America are now doing Trump’s dance! While VP Kamala Harris offered “joy”, Trump’s dance is taking the nation by storm and encouraging people to celebrate life! It’s reminiscent of the euphoric Martha & The Vandellas “Dancing in the Streets”!

Adoption of a Presidential candidate’s dance routine has got to be unprecedented! It represents a new way to unite and inspire the nation. After years of repressive COVID policies and a divisive campaign, this dance craze is giving America permission to have fun! In 2012, the Coke ad was I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing. Trump may teach the world to dance! Nationalists Sweep US/European 2024 Elections shows that Europe adopted Trump’s MAGA slogan as MEGA (“Make Europe Great Again”). Will it also adopt his dance?

How the “Trump Dance” Took Over the Sports World 11/19/24

This past weekend, the world of sports was taken over by a specific dance craze. Unlike the other famous end-zone routines and winning celebrations, this dance wasn’t a TikTok trend or a rehashing of a late aughts-early 2010s hip-hop hit.

Instead, it was a particular set of moves popularized by President-elect Donald J. Trump. After athletes from all manner of sports—a mixed martial arts champion, a golfer, many American football players and a soccer star—were filmed grooving like Trump, it felt like the entirety of America’s athletics was thrust into the center of a fevered debate about what constitutes off-limits political messaging on the field, and what is simply above-the-board pop-culture mimicry.
It doesn’t help that it’s unclear how many athletes even knew that it was Trump they were copying. (But, come on, some definitely did.) Fear not: I’m here to break down what this dance is, who is doing it, and why it’s all the rage today. To get the full gist of this new twist, read on…..

Meanwhile, the move has also made it to foreign athletes. On Saturday, some members of the English football club Barnsley got down like Trump after scoring a goal against Cambridge United. And on Sunday, British golfer Charley Hull was seen doing the twist during the ANNIKA driven, a women’s professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour.

Donald Trump dance, explained: Why the president’s celebration is invading sports, from Jon Jones to Nick Bosa

Just under two weeks after he was elected the 47th president of the United States, Trump was all over the NFL in Week 11 without actually attending a game. Multiple sports personalities emulated the dance moves he displayed at his campaign rallies, with the UFC’s Jon Jones perhaps serving as inspiration after his Trump-themed celebration in front of the president-elect on Saturday.

That doesn’t mean opposition to Trump doesn’t exist in the sports world anymore; plenty of athletes and coaches, including the NBA’s Steve Kerr and Doc Rivers, will tell you that’s far from the truth. The weekend certainly signaled a bit of a culture shift, though, and some big names are getting in on the fun.

Here’s what you need to know about Trump’s famous dance and why it’s taking over the sports world.

The ‘Trump dance’ takes the sports world by storm 11/19/24

A dance popularized by President-elect Donald Trump appears to have taken the sporting world by storm, after multiple US athletes across the country brought it out to celebrate plays this weekend.

The dance was first seen years ago during Trump’s rallies, during which he would play up to his supporters by pumping his fists and moving them alongside his body. Last month, it went even more viral when he decided to stop a campaign town hall and instead play some of his favorite music for more than 40 minutes, swaying and dancing to rally staples like “YMCA” by The Village People.

And in the weeks after Trump’s historic reelection to the White House, that dance is being used as celebration for big plays, shots, and wins for American athletes – an unusual public celebration of the once-and-future president by sports stars that didn’t happen much during his first term in office.

It first began the weekend after Trump’s reelection when San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa – a public Trump supporter – celebrated a sack with the dance in the Niners’ Week 10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bosa, who typically shrugs after sacks, was joined by a few teammates in the dance and when asked about what inspired it, he said: “I think you know the answer to that question.” “All the guys wanted me to do it. I wasn’t even going to do it, but the boys reminded me. And it was fun,” Bosa told reporters, per the San Francisco Chronicle….

On Sunday, there were multiple renditions across the NFL of the ‘Trump dance,’ with Detroit Lions defensive end Za’Darius Smith, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley all performing it.

Bowers was asked by USA Today writer Safid Deen about doing the dance after the game, saying, “I’ve seen everyone do it. I watched the UFC fight last night and Jon Jones did it. I like watching UFC so I saw it, and thought it was cool.” The Raiders then ended Bowers’ postgame availability following the answer, according to Deen.

British golfer Charley Hull also performed the dance walking down the fairway at the Pelican Golf Club in Florida at The ANNIKA event on Sunday. And then in St. Louis on Monday, US men’s soccer national team star Christian Pulisic pulled out the dance in celebration after he scored the opening goal of his team’s 4-2 win over Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal. But afterwards, Pulisic stressed that the celebration was “not a political dance.” He added, per The Athletic: “I saw everyone doing it yesterday in the NFL, I saw Jon Jones do it, and we were just having a bit of fun. I thought it was a pretty fun dance.

NYTimes: Trump’s Signature Dance Move Finds Its Way to the Sports World (video)

Jon Jones punctuated his U.F.C. win with the president-elect’s shimmy. Numerous N.F.L. players, and a U.S. soccer star have followed suit….

Mr. Trump’s embrace of events like U.F.C. fights and football games — both brimming with machismo — has been endlessly documented, and was viewed during the campaign as part of a broader effort to appeal to young men.

What is the ‘Trump dance’? And where have we seen it in sport?

Donald Trump’s dancing has gone viral on TikTok. The US president-elect’s signature moves – swaying the hips, fist pumping the air, and sometimes even a golf swing – have caught on since his victory over Kamala Harris. American athletes across a series of sports have celebrated with the dance in recent weeks – and it has even been seen in England’s Football League.

Full List of US Athletes Who Have Done the ‘Trump Dance’

The Trump dance is taking over sports

Is it a political statement or just a fun dance? Either way, the “Trump dance” is spreading across the sports world like wildfire. Multiple US athletes — from NFL players to UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones — have all been seen busting out President-elect Donald Trump’s signature moves in the wake of his election win. British golfer Charley Hull was also recently seen doing the dance. The Trump dance, which doesn’t take much effort and is really more of a shimmy, involves a gentle sway of the hips while repeatedly fist-pumping. Trump was first seen doing it years ago at rallies.

“Trump Dance” takes over sports

In the end zone, on the soccer pitch and on the golf course, athletes are paying tribute to President-elect Trump with the “Trump Dance.”

Why it matters: After Trump’s decisive victory, athletes and other celebs seem more willing to publicly associate themselves with the president-elect — even if the dance is more of a pop culture phenomenon than a political endorsement.

Catch up quick: The moves are inspired by a dance Trump has been doing at his rallies for years — pumping his fists and shaking his hips.

Driving the news: In the NFL, Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley and Lions defensive end Za’Darius Smith, among others, celebrated big plays with the “Trump Dance” recently.

College football players are doing it too, AP reports.
Christian Pulisic of the U.S. men’s national soccer team imitated the moves to celebrate a goal on Monday.
And current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones did it during a fight on Saturday, with Trump in attendance.
Golfer Charley Hull also did the dance during a Sunday match.

Zoom out: The dance has taken on a life of its own, with some athletes saying it’s not meant to make a statement.

“It’s not a political dance. It was just for fun,” Pulisic said after his game, noting that he had seen “everyone doing it yesterday in the NFL” and Jones doing it in UFC.
“I saw it and thought it was cool,” Bowers said.

The bottom line: It’s a new MAGA era, and Trumpism is making its way into pop culture in ways that it didn’t the first time he was in office.

Athletes make President-elect Donald Trump’s dance moves go viral

The NFL, UFC, boxing and college football had a stranglehold and there was one underlying theme across the sports landscape. It wasn’t an individual fight or matchup on the gridiron. Instead, it was President-elect Donald Trump and the dance he’s done during his campaign rallies. Support for Trump may have trickled from the sports world in the days leading up to the election, but it really exploded over the weekend.