Democrats have called him a fascist and worse, but ever since Donald Trump captured a second presidential term, a growing number of Americans are dancing to his tune.
The Trump dance has become the surprise hit of the postelection season. In the two weeks since Mr. Trump’s victory, fraternity brothers, professional athletes and the president of Argentina have performed it.
UFC champion Jon Jones broke out the moves after defending his heavyweight title at UFC 309 in front of Mr. Trump, who attended the Saturday bout at Madison Square Garden.
“I also want to say a big, big thank you to President Donald Trump for being here tonight,” Jones said in remarks from the octagon. “Hey, what do you think about my version of the Donald Trump? Check it out.”
The crowd erupted as Jones showed off his fist-punching, knee-popping moves while the president-elect applauded from ringside.
A national dance-off may be the last thing the naysayers foresaw in the event of a Trump win. They expected a fresh outbreak of national angst and semi-peaceful protests, with maybe a little rioting and looting for good measure.
PHOTOS: Trump dances onstage, takes post-election nation by storm
That could still happen, of course, but plenty of Americans are ready to celebrate the second Trump presidency by busting a move.
At least a dozen NFL players performed the Trump dance to celebrate scores and sacks during last weekend’s games. The lineup included Tennessee Titans wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, and Detroit Lions defenders Malcolm Rodriguez and Ja’Darius Smith.
Rodriguez and Smith pay attention to politics. They also swung imaginary golf clubs, which Mr. Trump often does as part of his dance to the 1978 disco hit “Y.M.C.A.”
“I’ve seen everyone do it,” Bowers told USA Today. “I watched the UFC fight [Saturday] night, and Jon Jones did it. I like watching UFC, so I saw it and thought it was cool.”
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa and several teammates may have been the first to celebrate a sack with the Trump dance, as they did during the Nov. 10 game. Bosa sported a “Make America Great Again” ballcap after the Oct. 27 game.
“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 the San Francisco Chronicle.
Make America Fun Again  #TrumpDance pic.twitter.com/8ejExxt7B1
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) November 17, 2024
CNN conservative analyst Scott Jennings did an on-the-air shimmy as he declared that “Trump is back. America is back. And once again, it’s cool to be a Republican.”
Others were stunned by the turnaround.
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing in sports,” Christian conservative commentator Jon Root said on X. “Some of sport’s biggest stars in the NFL, NCAA, MLS, USMNT, UFC & more are doing a Donald Trump dance to celebrate scoring.”
He added that “after sports being inundated with liberal propaganda for the past decade, I’d tell you you’re crazy if you told me this is what we’d be seeing in postelection 2024.”
The signature dance has also been performed at college football games, Major League Soccer matches and even European soccer matches, but the phenomenon extends beyond sports.
Argentine President Javier Milei, a conservative populist, showed off his Trump dance moves at a gala last week at Mar-a-Lago, also attended by Mr. Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
“LONG LIVE FREEDOM DAMN IT,” Mr. Milei said on Instagram in a photo with the president-elect.
The Sigma Nu fraternity at the University of Missouri may have jump-started the fad by releasing a viral video the day after the Nov. 5 election showing more than 30 tie-wearing members doing the Trump dance to “Y.M.C.A.”
Adding irony to the festive postelection mood is that Vice President Kamala Harris ran on a platform to “bring back the joy,” with her supporters marketing her as the “good vibes” candidate. She lost to Mr. Trump by 312 to 226 electoral votes.
The contrast didn’t escape Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Republican, who posted on X a video of athletes and others doing the Trump dance.
“Joy and vibes are HERE TO STAY,” Mr. Donalds said. “Together, we are Making America Fun Again one #TrumpDance at a time.”
Not everyone is happy about the Trump dance. Critics accuse athletes of sending political messages and drawing comparisons to the 2016-2017 “take a knee” protests led by then-NFL player Colin Kaepernick.
“In the past, athletes such as Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James and others were railed against for their public stances on social or political issues, whereas the burgeoning popularity of the Trump dance suggests a change in the winds,” CNN said in a Tuesday article.
Kaepernick, a former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, was criticized for kneeling during the national anthem. It was described as a protest against institutional racism and police brutality, but the NFL permitted him and other players to kneel.
Bosa was fined $11,255 for wearing the “MAGA” hat on the field in a postgame interview, a violation of the league’s policy against clothing with personal messaging, but the NFL doesn’t plan to take any action against the Trump dancers.
“There’s no issue with celebratory dances such as what took place Sunday or the previous week with the 49ers on Nov. 10,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told several media outlets.
The Babylon Bee weighed in on the cultural phenomenon by criticizing Democrats for their “Trump is Hitler” campaign screeds.
“Newly Unearthed Video Shows Hitler Did the Trump Dance,” the Christian conservative satire site said.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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