Donald Trump closes Saudi investment forum with ‘YMCA’
Donald Trump ended his speech in Saudi Arabia with “YMCA,” a song associated with the LGBTQ+ community, in a country where homosexuality is illegal.
President Donald Trump closed out his time in Saudi Arabia with a familiar tune, though its presence playing in the conservative Gulf nation has raised some eyebrows.
As is typical at the end of many of his U.S. campaign rallies, The Village People’s “YMCA” began playing, backdropping a photo opportunity with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The president was in the kingdom on May 13 as part of his first foreign trip in his second term, eschewing tradition and traveling to the Middle East instead of Mexico or Canada. It’s his second presidential visit to the Middle East, following his 2017 visit which also included a stop in Saudi Arabia. This time he’s also traveling to neighboring Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The song is a well-known LGBTQ+ anthem in the U.S., making its appearance at an official event with top Saudi officials an eyebrow-raising contrast, as the kingdom has effectively outlawed homosexuality and alternative forms of gender expression.
Saudi Arabia’s judicial system is based on an interpretation of Sharia law, a broad set of laws and precepts that aim to guide or govern the daily lives of Muslim people. In Saudi Arabia, interpretation of sharia can result in penalties for homosexual acts, and Human Rights Watch says police in the country “routinely arrest people based on their gender expression.”
Clips of the pair shaking hands alongside the disco beat are making the rounds on social media.
Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist with ties to the Trump administration, mentioned the scene in a post on X: “YMCA in Saudi Arabia. What a timeline we live in.”
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and on X @KathrynPlmr.