President Donald Trump attended a "Namaste Trump" event at Sardar Patel Stadium—the world's largest cricket stadium—on Monday in Ahmedabad, India.
While no stranger to rallies—holding near continuous MAGA events since his 2016 election—the venue was new for Trump who generally draws crowds of supporters on home soil in small venues.
Wanting to feel at home however, the music used was reportedly the same as the playlist for MAGA rallies. This lead to some raised eyebrows as Trump took the stage to the thumping beat of "Macho Man" by the Village People.
For anyone unfamiliar with the song, this should refresh your memory.
If you weren't alive in the 1970s, you really missed something.
With lyrics like...
- Body, body wanna feel my body
- Body, baby, such a thrill, my body
- Body, wanna touch my body
- Body, baby, it's too much, my body
- Body, check it out, my body, body
- Baby, don't you doubt, my body
- Body, talking about my body, body
- Baby, checking out my body
- Listen here
- Every man wants to be a macho man
- To have the kind of body always in demand
- Joggin' in the mornings, go man go
- Workouts in the health spa, muscles grow
- You can best believe me
- He's a macho man
- Glad he took you down with anyone you can
- Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
- Macho, macho man (macho man)
- I gotta be a macho man
- Macho, macho man
- I gotta be a macho
...who doesn't immediately think of Trump?
Or do you think of gay icons and cruising culture? Seriously, if you weren't alive in the 1970s, you missed something epic.
The Village People's name referred to New York City's Greenwich Village—known at the time for a large gay population. The characters portrayed by the group's members were not just for their videos either.
The singers all performed in costumes symbolic of American masculine stereotypes and macho gay-fantasy personas—think Tom of Finland come to life.
So people were a bit perplexed by the statement Trump was trying to send picking it as his entrance theme.
Although CBS' White House correspondent said the song was on constant rotation at Trump's never ending MAGA rallies.
New York Times correspondent Maria Abi-Habib tweeted:
"I never thought I'd be listening to 'Macho Macho man' in Gujarat, let alone with a crowd of 120,000 people anywhere in this world. But this was the song that Trump walked out to."
Others were equally baffled by the song choice.
Which is totally hilarious considering it's by gay men , about gay men and he is so anti gay. Not to mention he would be one of the last heterosexual men anyone would find macho.
— MsFaust58 (@MFaust58) February 24, 2020
pic.twitter.com/TyS3uSOpvj
— Mark James (@MarkJam92731126) February 24, 2020
Oops. The crowd leaves half-way through. Locals say they were only paid to stay for Modi and/or certain period of time.https://t.co/qXj2TlsJNG
— Nancy 🍑 (@BowmanNancy) February 24, 2020
Once on stage, Trump told the crowd:
"All over the planet people take great joy in watching Bollywood films."
But just days earlier Trump complained about South Korean film Parasite winning the Academy Award for best picture. So is he now supporting foreign cinema?
And disco?
Or is he just trying to be a macho, macho man?
The Best of the Village People is available here.
Liam McBurney/PA Images via Getty Images
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