Village People, Laura Branigan Mgr. Disavow Trump’s Use of ‘YMCA,’ ‘Gloria’

Donald Trump’s final use of ‘YMCA’ during a public political event did NOT go unnoticed by the guys who originally sang it — and while they’re still pissed … they’re also thankful that, for now, this is the end of his tradition.

The Village People tell TMZ … “We asked him to cease and desist long ago. However, since he’s a bully, our request was ignored.” It’s true — TVP have repeatedly made clear they’re not down with DT constantly using their most famous tune … but he’s persisted.

The group adds, “Thankfully he’s now out of office, so it would seem his abusive use of our music has finally ended. We hope to spearhead a change in copyright law that will give artists and publishers more control over who can and cannot use our music in the public space. Currently there is no limit to blanket licensing.”

That’s interesting … because that’s not something that many people know, or something that artists vow to change. Basically, the reason Trump has been able to, for the most part, get away with playing music from so many artists who don’t sign off is because … it’s legal.

The Village People’s comments here touch on copyright law — which we won’t dig into too deeply — but essentially … it’s usually fine to play copyrighted songs in places like stadiums that have public performance licenses — which is where Trump often played these songs.