A flagrantly kitsch novelty act from the 1970s has become the centre of controversy following their decision to perform in Washington, D.C., at the Trump inauguration

{The Mirror 14 January} Village People respond to anger over Trump's inauguration performance

An utterly ghastly 1970s musical novelty act has been enlisted to perform at the tangerine puppet’s spurious inauguration, promising to 'bring the country together.' What absurdity is this? Were the #Murican citizenry not such nostalgia-obsessed simpletons with execrable taste, the Village People—a group comprised, quite literally, of cosplayers—would have been consigned to the dustbin of history by 1982, never to assault mortal ears again.

Lest I seem unfair, I say this as one who operates a venture dedicated to historical reminiscence, albeit one that prioritises cultural artefacts of genuine merit and good taste. Yet here we are in 2025: a country so bereft of meaningful contemporary culture, so disdainful of intellect and value, that it endlessly recycles every dreadful trend of yesteryear. And now, the Village People—of all the ridiculous choices—are cast as ambassadors of national unity.

Unity, however, is patently impossible in this fractured age and unlikely to manifest within our lifetimes. So what preposterous notion is this, anyway? Moreover, why do the ‘Manosphere’ acolytes not question why their orange-hued messiah is so enamoured with a group so closely associated with the homosexual community? (Indeed, his campaign has used Y.M.C.A. as a rallying anthem since this frightful circus began in 2015.)

To cite another regrettable cultural relic of the 1970s, these United States have ‘jumped the shark’ repeatedly in this Trumpian era of decline and ens**ttification. When, if ever, will this descent into complete farce reach its end? Is there no bottom to this spiral? Apart from baseball, Friday night lights, and a handful of lingering noble pastimes, the only aspects of American life worth celebrating are now dead and buried. #Murica—my pet name for this grotesque parody of the country I grew up in—is an abomination of cringe-worthy proportions.

Copyright 2025, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.