Donald Trump may have won the hearts of athletes around the world who have a new way to celebrate their accomplishments on the field, along with his big victory in the 2024 presidential election.
The “Trump Dance” has officially invaded sports in the U.S. and around the world.
What Happened: Anyone who has watched National Football League games in recent years has grown accustomed to seeing players celebrate touchdowns or defensive stops like sacks with celebrations that can involve dance moves or other teammates for choreographed moves.
NFL fans who tuned in to games this past weekend likely saw their fair share of players doing the “Trump Dance,” a move where you slowly move your hips back and forth with fists clenched and sometimes in the air.
While the move has grown in popularity over the past week, it may have been San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa who made the move popular by using it as a celebration in the team’s Nov. 10 game, as reported by the New York Post.
“All the guys wanted me to do it. I wasn’t even going to do it, but the boys reminded me. And it was fun,” Bosa told the San Francisco Chronicle when asked about the moves.
Bosa told a reporter he thinks they know the answer when asked for the inspiration for the move. A video of the dance went viral on X and also drew attention from Trump.
This past weekend saw multiple NFL players break out the Trump Dance as their celebration for touchdowns and sacks, including Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. Â
College football players have also been seen doing the move as their celebration, although not in the same viral fashion as the NFL players.
The move has also made its way to other sports. The UFC 309 fight on Saturday saw Jon Jones defeat Stipe Miocic in the headline heavyweight match. To celebrate his victory, Jones did the signature dance move in front of Trump, who was sitting in the audience live for the fight.
Trump is a fan of the UFC, which is a unit of TKO Group Holdings Inc TKO, and has attended past fights to warm welcomes from the crowds.
The move made its way to soccer recently with players on English soccer team Barnsley doing the dance together after scoring a goal.
American soccer star Christian Pulisic hit the Trump Dance after scoring a goal in Team USA’s win over Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal match Monday.
Did You Know?
Why It’s Important: One of the big questions is if people are doing the dance move in celebration of Trump or making fun of the president-elect.
Trump famously busted out dance moves for 40 minutes at an October town hall after cutting a question-and-answer segment short with several audience members facing medical emergencies. Trump danced away to songs like “YMCA” and “Ave Maria.”
The event drew plenty of criticism, including from political rival and presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris who said “hope he’s okay” when commenting on the video.
NFL players copying Trump’s dance moves may already be controversial with a report from OutKick that the NFL on CBS X account edited out Bowers’ dance from a video shared on social media.
The New York Post said a reporter asked Bowers about the dance after the game. Bowers said he saw Jones and others do the dance and “thought it was cool.” USA Today reporter Safid Deen said after his question to Bowers the Raiders ended the Raiders’ player’s media availability.
Front Office Sports reported NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told it that there is “no issue” with players doing the celebration. McCarthy said the NFL is not placing any directives on its media partners.
“It’s up to the networks to cover them as they see fit.”
Current NFL rules allow for celebrations by players, but players can be fined for wearing items with political messages with Bosa getting fined for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat on the field previously.
Trump previously spoke out against the NFL in 2017 calling for team owners to cut players who took a knee as a form of protest during the U.S. national anthem before games.
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Photo: Anna Moneymaker via Shutterstock
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