Donald Trump apparently believes he has cracked the code to the gay vote: play YMCA, do a little dance, and declare victory. There is just one small problem with that theory. The actual voting numbers tell a rather different story.
During recent remarks in South Carolina, the YMCA-loving president discussed his familiar campaign dance moves, including the weightlifting gesture he performs when the Village People’s YMCA plays at his rallies. He joked that Melania Trump thinks the routine is “unpresidential” before explaining that she also dislikes him dancing to what he called the “gay national anthem.”
Trump then claimed he received the highest gay vote in Republican political history.
Well, about that…
READ: The Village People’s Lead Vocalist Is Tired Of The Gay Sex Comparisons
The Gay Vote Has Some Receipts
According to NBC News’ 2024 exit polling, Kamala Harris received 86% of the LGBTQ+ vote, while Trump received 12%. That was a significant shift from 2020, when Trump received 27% of the LGBTQ+ vote against Joe Biden.
And if we’re talking specifically about Republican presidential candidates, Trump’s 2024 performance doesn’t exactly look historic. In 2016, during Trump’s first presidential campaign, he received 14% of the LGBTQ+ vote, according to national exit polling. In 2024, that figure was down to 12%.
So while Trump can certainly say he believes he performed well with gay voters, the available exit-poll data doesn’t support the idea that 2024 represented some unprecedented Republican breakthrough among LGBTQ+ voters.
And yes, we checked the receipts.
Is YMCA a Gay National Anthem?
This is where things get particularly entertaining.
NOW – Trump calls his iconic rally-ending song “YMCA,” “the gay national anthem,” adding “that’s why I did so well with the gay vote I think, because of that song.” pic.twitter.com/QlEPYwRSVo
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) May 22, 2026
YMCA has long been embraced by LGBTQ+ audiences and has become an enduring queer cultural touchstone. Trump, however, has repeatedly referred to it as the “gay national anthem,” including when discussing his campaign’s use of the song.
But dancing to a beloved song doesn’t automatically make someone an LGBTQ+ ally.
Political records, policies, and the effects of those policies matter considerably more than a playlist, much less a song.
In other words, you don’t get a Pride card because you learned the YMCA choreography.
The Bigger Question
There is also a much bigger issue than the Republican leader’s choice of walk-off music.
Under the Trump administration, the United States has been phasing out funding for HIV programs in South Africa through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. The program has provided hundreds of millions of dollars annually to South Africa, and advocacy groups have warned that cuts could particularly affect vulnerable populations, including men who have sex with men.
That is considerably more consequential to LGBTQ+ communities than whether the president can do a convincing YMCA routine.
And Then There Was the “Normal Gay Guy”
Trump’s claim also brings us back to something his running mate, JD Vance, said during the 2024 campaign.
Appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Vance said he wouldn’t be surprised if he and Trump won the “normal gay guy vote,” arguing that these voters simply wanted to be left alone. The problem with trying to define the “normal” gay voter is fairly obvious: LGBTQ+ people aren’t a political monolith.
They have different priorities, identities, experiences, and opinions. And the 2024 exit polls certainly didn’t show a mass LGBTQ+ migration toward Trump.
So, he can keep the YMCA dance.
He can call it the gay national anthem.
He can even claim the choreography helped him win gay voters.
But when it comes to the actual numbers, the LGBTQ+ vote did not exactly stampede toward the Republican ticket.
The gays, it seems, were watching the policies, too.