Village People Take Legal Action Against Trump

Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Famed musical group, the Village People sent a cease-and-desist letter to former President Trump for recently using their hit song “Macho Man.”

Karen Willis, the band’s manager, and wife of lead singer Victor Willis sent the letter to Joe Tacopina, Trump’s manager questioning why a cover band was recently allowed to perform their song at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. In the letter Willis argued that many believed the imitation group was the actual band which led to major “confusion.” She also pointed out that the group had copied the clothing of the Village People, and that “the use of the group’s image and likeness at Mar-a-Lago was unauthorized,” and a trademark violation.

This is not the first time that the Village People have spoken up about Trump using their music. In 2020 in a Facebook post, they stated that Trump’s use of their song had been “respectful” and that at the time no lines had been crossed.

However, Monday’s letter showed that a change in the way that the Village People were handling the use of their music had come. In the letter, it is stated that while in the past they had tolerated Trump using their music, they cannot support the “public confusion” caused by the recent usage of their song. According to the letter Trump needs to cease any usage of the group’s image, likeness, and music both for his own personal use and in his campaign.

Tacopina in response has stated that he would only deal with an attorney of the Village people and not the wife of one of the members.