Why is everyone doing the “Trump dance,” and where did it come from?
It’s the dance that took over the sports world this weekend. For Detroit Lions fans, you probably noticed when Za‘Darius Smith and Malcolm Rodriguez broke it out after Smith’s first sack since coming over from the Browns.
We saw it during the UFC fights on Saturday. During multiple NFL games on Sunday. And on the soccer pitch by Monday.
What is the origin of the dance?
The dance is an imitation of president-elect Donald Trump’s moves during a Nov. 4-5 campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
It was Trump’s final stop before Election Day at Van Andel Arena in Downtown Grand Rapids. The rally began the night of Nov. 4 and lasted until well past midnight into the morning of the election.
Near the end of the event, Trump broke out some mild dance moves to the song “YMCA.” If you haven’t seen the video, think arm pumps and hips jerks.
Videos of the dance spread on social media. Trump won the presidential election about 24 hours later.
When did this become a celebration?
It appears the trend of celebrating with the “Trump dance” in sports began back on Nov. 10, when 49ers pass rusher Nick Bosa did it during a win over the Buccaneers.
This notably happened days after Bosa was fined by the NFL for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat to support Trump during a postgame interview on Oct. 27.
Bosa sacked Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield during that Nov. 10 game, and a group of his teammates joined in as he emulated Trump’s dance from the Grand Rapids rally.
More athletes join in
Jon Jones did the dance in the middle of the ring after winning a UFC fight against Stipe Miocic on Nov. 17. He pointed right at Trump, who was sitting in the front row.
Then, on Sunday, the Trump dance popped up across the NFL. It wasn’t just Smith and Rodriguez during the Lions game. Titans receiver Calvin Ridley and Raiders tight end Brock Bowers celebrated touchdowns with the Trump dance.
British golfer Charley Hull did the dance while shooting 11 under par at the Pelican Golf Club’s LPGA Tour event over the weekend.
Then, on Monday, United States soccer star Christian Pulisic did the dance after scoring a goal against Jamaica.
I’m sure there were others. It’s hard to keep up. The point is this has spread nationally across multiple sports.
What does it mean?
Is the “Trump dance” a statement? Who knows. It probably varies by athlete.
Based on the MAGA hat, we can probably assume Bosa was showing support for Trump when he did the dance, and maybe others were, too. Some athletes might just think it’s funny, or they might just be jumping in on the latest viral trend.
You never know where these celebrations will come from. A couple weeks ago, it was a college football player getting flagged for a headstand. Now it’s the next U.S. president dancing at a rally.
These days, if there’s video on social media, it’s pretty much fair game.
