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Village People singer threatens to sue Trump to stop performances of 'Y.M.C.A.,' 'Macho Man,' and other hits
May 15, 2023
The lead singer of the Village People music group issued a cease and desist letter to former President Donald Trump to stop all performances of "Y.M.C.A." and "Macho Man," among others of the group's hits.
"Though my husband has tolerated your client's use of his Village People music, we cannot allow such use by him to cause public confusion as to endorsement," wrote Karen Willis, the wife of Victor Willis and manager of the music group.
The letter cited a video that was posted to social media showing the former president dancing to a performance of "Macho Man" by dancers dressed up like the famous Village People group.
\u201cYou have to love Trump\u2019s dance moves! \ud83d\udd7a\ud83d\udc47\u201d— Lyndy (@Lyndy) 1683894621
"Therefore, it is requested that he cease and desist any such further unauthorized use of the Village People image in association with the songs and his campaign (or in his personal capacity)," the letter continued.
Willis went on to say that they would be forced to file a lawsuit in order to stop Trump from unauthorized use of their songs.
She added, "Such combined use causes public confusion and is suggestive of endorsement."
Trump has used the music of the Village People often during his presidential campaigns and during rallies.
Other artists have issued similar requests and legal threats against the Trump campaign. In 2020, Twitter took down a Trump campaign video after it used a song from Linkin Park without authorization.
"Linkin Park did not and does not endorse Trump, nor authorize his organization to use any of our music," the official Twitter account for Linkin Park wrote at the time. "A cease and desist has been issued."
Here's a video of Trump dancing to Village People at a rally:
Trump ends his rally by dancing to YMCAwww.youtube.com
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Staff Writer
Carlos Garcia is a staff writer for Blaze News.
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