A dance move that gained popularity through the influence of President-elect Donald Trump has recently swept across the sports arena, with numerous American athletes incorporating it into their celebrations following significant plays. This particular dance move, which originated from Trump's campaign events, involves pumping one's fists in rhythm with the music while moving them alongside the body.

The dance gained further momentum when Trump paused a campaign town hall to play his favorite tunes, including "YMCA" by The Village People, for over 40 minutes, during which he swayed and danced to the music. In the wake of Trump's re-election to the White House, this dance has become a means for American athletes to commemorate significant achievements, a public acknowledgment of the president-elect that was less common during his first term.

The trend began the weekend following Trump's re-election when San Francisco 49ers' defensive end, Nick Bosa, who is an open supporter of Trump, celebrated a sack with this dance during the team's Week 10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bosa, who usually offers a nonchalant shrug after a sack, was joined by a few teammates in performing the dance.

When questioned about the inspiration behind it, he hinted, "I think you know the answer to that question." He elaborated to reporters, as per the San Francisco Chronicle, "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." This incident occurred shortly after Bosa was fined $11,255 by the NFL for displaying political sentiments on the field by interrupting his teammates' post-game interview wearing a hat with the Make America Great Again slogan.

At UFC 309 on a Saturday, with Trump in attendance, Jon Jones celebrated retaining his heavyweight title by performing the dance before acknowledging Trump at the ringside. Jones then approached the president-elect, where they exchanged handshakes and Jones allowed Trump to hold his heavyweight title belt. On Sunday, the 'Trump dance' was replicated multiple times across the NFL by players like Detroit Lions' defensive end Za’Darius Smith, Las Vegas Raiders' tight end Brock Bowers, and Tennessee Titans' wide receiver Calvin Ridley.

Bowers, when asked by USA Today writer Safid Deen about his decision to perform the dance, said, "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." Following this statement, the Raiders ended Bowers' post-game availability, as reported by Deen.

British golfer Charley Hull also performed the dance while walking down the fairway at the Pelican Golf Club in Florida during The ANNIKA event on Sunday. In St. Louis on Monday, US men’s soccer national team star Christian Pulisic executed the dance in celebration after scoring the opening goal in his team’s 4-2 win over Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal. However, Pulisic later clarified that the celebration was "not a political dance," stating to The Athletic, "I saw everyone doing it yesterday in the NFL, I saw Jon Jones do it, and we were just having a bit of fun. I thought it was a pretty fun dance. It’s not a political dance. It was just for fun. I saw a bunch of people do it and thought it was funny, so I enjoyed it."

The adoption of the dance by athletes represents a significant shift from previous years when the display of political symbols by professional athletes was often met with criticism. In the past, athletes like Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James faced backlash for their public stances on social and political issues. The growing popularity of the Trump dance suggests a change in attitudes. Conservative columnist Scott Jennings commented, "Why shouldn’t they? Trump is back, America is back and once again, it’s cool to be Republican again." On the other hand, Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov suggested a potential double standard, saying on Fox News, "I guess we’ve gotten to the portion of the Trump era where we have moved past ‘shut up and dribble’ and now it is fantastic for athletes to talk about their politics."