The first thing to know about the Donald Trump dance craze is that it’s not really a craze. (Not yet, at least.) Nor, to be honest, is it a dance.
What is certain, however, is that the president-elect’s signature shimmy is en vogue with all manner of professional athletes, imitated by at least five NFL players Sunday, as well as by Jon Jones, the heavyweight champion of the UFC, who seemingly helped spread the fad Saturday after knocking out Stipe Miocic in the third round.
Jones celebrated by rocking from hip to hip and pumping his fists at waist level – both hallmarks of Trump’s dancing – before pointing his finger at Trump, who was sitting ringside at the fight in New York. Trump, never one to pass up a compliment, beamed in the moment and soon reposted Jones’ performance on Truth Social. Trump’s embrace of events like UFC fights and football games – both brimming with machismo – was viewed during the campaign as part of a broader effort to appeal to young men.
The support of Trump’s moves from prominent athletes came after he had trailed his opponent, vice president Kamala Harris, in terms of big-name celebrity endorsements. His resounding victory November 5, however, has resulted in an increasing trickle of congratulations from famous people – a diverse cohort including the likes of Caitlyn Jenner and Sylvester Stallone. Jones and the NFL players expanded that circle even more.
Trump’s physical enjoyment of music has been a staple of his campaigns for years, including at an Oct town hall where a pair of medical emergencies in the crowd led to lengthy delays, during which the Republican candidate bobbed his head to the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A”.
Both simple and strangely hypnotic, Trump’s wiggle incorporates the kind of stiff swivel often employed by arrhythmic wedding guests or awkward, one-too-many conventioneers. Sunday saw more variations emerging, from NFL players like Brock Bowers who did a quick end zone dance with the Trumpian boogie. “I saw it and thought it was cool,” he said.
While Trump is the dance’s originator, various sources credit another NFL player – Nick Bosa – for its broader popularisation, after he did Trump’s dance on November 10 in the wake of a sack. A day before, Bosa had been fined $11,255 for violating a rule by wearing a “MAGA” hat at a post-game, pre-election TV interview. Of his fine, Bosa said, “It was well worth it”.
