The Trump dance is sweeping US sport – and the Premier League could be next

Bend your knees, waggle your hips, pump your fists – and prepare for a possible fine

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Everybody’s doing a brand new dance now, and it is not Little Eva’s Locomotion. Instead, it requires a subtle shake of the hips, bend of the knees and purse of the lips while gently pumping both fists in turn. Unusually for a modern dance craze, this has not originated online but at the rallies of president-elect Donald Trump.
The Trump dance is the United States’ sporting celebration of choice, for this week at least. It has been spotted everywhere from UFC to NFL and, latterly, the USMNT. At this rate, the Trump shuffle will become even more popular in American sport than initials.
In the case of UFC fighter Jon Jones, the Trump dance was performed in front of Trump himself, octagon-side for his victory over Stipe Miocic on Saturday night. Thankfully for Jones, Trump seemed to enjoy this rather than turning his thumb down and unleashing Elon Musk’s army of ravenous spambots.
Jon Jones hit the Donald Trump dance after his win 🤣 🕺 #UFC309 pic.twitter.com/gFyZG2dWTf
Jones was unequivocal about his support for Trump afterwards; others adopting his dance have been more coy.
San Francisco 49er Nick Bosa said “all the guys wanted me to do it”, and when asked what inspired his celebration said: “I think you know the answer to that question.” In ascending order of enjoyable names, other NFL players have followed Bosa’s lead: Tennessee Titan Calvin Ridley, Las Vegas Raider Brock Bowers and Detroit Lion Za’Darius Smith.
Za’Darius Smith, Brock Bowers and Calvin Ridley all perform the Trump YMCA dance on NFL Sunday. There is still a lot of football left. pic.twitter.com/yVpdIgDTtA
The NFL has said it does not deem the dance a political statement and there has been little public blowback, certainly nothing like the “keep politics out of sport” invective stirred by Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem.
By Monday night, the captain of the country’s men’s soccer (look, let it go, it’s just easier for all of us in this context) team, Christian Pulisic, had hopped on board but denied his celebration was a political act. “It’s not a political dance. It was just for fun. I saw a bunch of people do it and I thought it was funny, so I enjoyed it.”
Christian Pulisic scored a sick goal and followed it with the Trump dance.My captain. 🇺🇸pic.twitter.com/SvIZsBwHoh
Of course, where the US goes, England often follows, and British golfer Charley Hull was spotted indulging in some brief Trumping on her way to a second-placed finish at the Annika tournament in Florida. The phenomenon has now breached our shores. Who had Cambridge’s Abbey Stadium as the next frontier of the culture war? Congratulations, it was the site of Barnsley’s Stephen Humphrys celebrating a goal in now-familiar style.
The Donald Trump tour has gone worldwide! Players from the English soccer club Barnsley hit the Trump dance after a goal. pic.twitter.com/re66NujG6w
This country might be a little less relaxed about athletes paying tribute to Trump. Those most frightened about what the next four years hold will say these celebrations will age as well as the England team’s trip to Berlin in 1938, complete with Nazi salutes. But surely it is only a matter of time before a Premier League player follows suit, at which point you can guarantee so-far isolated outrage will go mainstream.
Ifab’s laws of the game discourage any choreographed celebrations, but limit guidance on political slogans to equipment, which must not “have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images”. No word on dances, but a yellow card is mandated for any player “acting in a provocative, derisory or inflammatory way”.
The FA says that it will not comment on hypotheticals, but in 2014 it punished Nicolas Anelka’s “quenelle” gesture, deemed to have anti-Semitic connotations, with a five-match ban and an £80,000 fine. So, to be on the safe side, perhaps players who wish to perform a political celebration could look to these other options:
The MaybotCue Abba, stride purposefully, walk with stiffer arms than usual, smile awkwardly, never live it down.
The way I’m bussin out Theresa may dance to wham last Christmas 🤣 pic.twitter.com/nkuT32908r
The BallsPerform horsey-horsey giddy-up gesture while hoping people still remember Gangnam Style and Strictly 2016.
With the ritual Ed Balls dance of course. pic.twitter.com/dDlFgCM2We
The CameronWeird fingerless point to ram home key message from a speech, as if knocking on a door. Advertising hoarding works well as a stand-in lectern.
I’m struggling to keep up with this #BrexitDebate but I think we can all agree this Etonian fist point hand gesture fashioned by David Cameron which most tories think looks cool, is in fact the most infuriating thing ever #HouseOfCommons pic.twitter.com/wMOwdeKiLF
The RaynerOne hand in air and mildly arrhythmic jumping while team-mate pretends to be DJing in Ibiza.
🎶 Angela Rayner has been filmed raving in a DJ booth in Ibiza – after Sir Keir Starmer warned of “painful” times ahead for Britons.Credit: Instagram/vanouten_deniseRead more here ⬇️https://t.co/PKr4FTIuwW pic.twitter.com/6l7AA7voa3
The ChurchillBoth hands up, first two fingers raised on each. Just make sure palms are pointing towards the crowd, because the other way around could be problematic.