Despite his love of music, Donald Trump does not really know how to dance. Instead of considering things like rhythm and what he looks like, Trump opts to just sort of move his arms and knees at the same time. Imagine a baby or an elderly person dancing, and you’ll be most of the way there. Even though it’s not a good move, athletes are apparently taking up Trump’s dancing style as a way to celebrate.
This past Saturday, UFC fighter Jon Jones did the “Trump dance” after knocking out Stipe Miocic. Trump was sitting ringside and looked on at the homage with a dopey grin.
Then, on Sunday, several NFL players hopped on the bandwagon.
That last video shows Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers doing the dance. When asked about it after the game, Bowers told reporters, “I’ve seen everyone do it. I watched the UFC fight last night and Jon Jones did it. I like watching UFC, so I saw it, and thought it was cool.”
By Monday, it had made its way to the soccer field, where U.S. Men’s National Team player Christian Pulisic celebrated a goal by balling up his fists and wagging his hips around. Pulisic later told reporters that it wasn’t meant to be a political statement. “I saw everyone doing it yesterday in the NFL. I saw Jon Jones do it,” he told reporters after the game. “We’re just having a bit of fun, so I thought it was a pretty fun dance.”
The dance first appeared in the end zone earlier this month, when San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa did it the day after he was fined for wearing a MAGA hat to a post-game interview. He appears to be one of the few guys intending to make a statement with the dance.
So, there you have it: It seems like most of these guys just watch UFC and thought it was a funny way to celebrate. My two cents: It would be a lot funnier to see an NFL player do the worm.