A simple hip wiggle, born on the campaign trail of a 78-year-old president-elect, has wandered far from its political origins and found an unlikely home in the celebration rituals of elite athletes worldwide. From UFC octagon to Premier League pitch, from NFL end zone to golf fairway, competitors are borrowing the gesture and draining it of its partisan charge, folding it instead into the ancient human tradition of joyful, communal movement. It is a reminder that culture rarely travels in straight lines — a moment meant for one arena has a way of escaping into all the others.
Trump Dance Craze Sweeps Global Sports as Athletes Embrace Viral Celebration
We're just having a bit of fun, so I thought it was a pretty fun dance.
Mark
So this is just athletes copying a dance move the president-elect does. Why does that matter enough to write about?
Mimi
Because it's actually interesting how quickly a personal gesture became a shared cultural reference across completely different sports and countries. It shows how something can go viral in athletics without being manufactured or forced.
Luke
But we should be careful here—are these athletes actually apolitical about it, or are they just saying that because it's safer? Pulisic and Bowers both claim it's just funny, but we're only hearing their side.
Mimi
That's fair. But the reporting does show them being consistent about it. They're not hiding the political context; they're just saying the dance itself is what appeals to them.
Mark
Has anyone refused to do it? Or criticized it?
Luke
The source doesn't mention that. We don't know if there's pushback from other athletes or if this is genuinely universal acceptance.
Mimi
Right—we're seeing the adoption, but not the full picture of how the broader sports world is responding. It's possible plenty of athletes are staying away from it entirely.
Mark
So what's the actual story underneath this?
Mimi
It's about how a simple, silly gesture became a way for athletes to participate in a cultural moment together, regardless of what that moment means politically.
Luke
And we should note: we don't have quotes from Trump himself about any of this. We don't know if he's encouraging it or if he even cares.
Mark
That's a gap worth naming.
Mimi
Absolutely. The dance exists; the adoption is real. But the full context—what Trump thinks, whether there's resistance we're not seeing—that's still open.
The Pulse
- A campaign gesture that might have faded with the election cycle has instead accelerated, spreading through professional sports at a pace that surprised even those performing it.
- The dance carries an inherent tension: athletes must publicly navigate the gap between a lighthearted cultural moment and the charged political figure who originated it.
- Stars like Jon Jones, Christian Pulisic, and Nick Bosa are defusing that tension by framing the move as pure entertainment — seen on a Saturday night, thought it looked cool, went with it.
- The trend has leapt across sports, borders, and competitive tiers, reaching English League One and professional golf within weeks of its viral peak.
- The celebration now belongs less to any political moment than to the athletes themselves, who are collectively deciding what it means through repetition and shared laughter.
A simple hip wiggle, born on the campaign trail of a 78-year-old president-elect, has wandered far from its political origins and found an unlikely home in the celebration rituals of elite athletes worldwide. From UFC octagon to Premier League pitch, from NFL end zone to golf fairway, competitors are borrowing the gesture and draining it of its partisan charge, folding it instead into the ancient human tradition of joyful, communal movement. It is a reminder that culture rarely travels in straight lines — a moment meant for one arena has a way of escaping into all the others.
At 78, Donald Trump has become an unlikely presence in professional sports — not as an owner or analyst, but as the accidental author of a celebration spreading across the athletic world. The move is disarmingly simple: a stationary side-to-side hip wiggle, arms in sync, the kind of gesture that belongs at a family gathering but has somehow captured elite competitors at their biggest moments.
The dance gained momentum after Trump's November victory, but its sporting life truly ignited at UFC 309, where heavyweight champion Jon Jones performed it after defeating Stipe Miocic — with Trump cageside. Jones pointed directly at the president-elect and handed him the championship belt. From there, the contagion spread quickly. Christian Pulisic danced after scoring for the U.S. men's soccer team against Jamaica, joined by teammates McKennie and Pepi. His explanation was disarmingly honest: he'd seen it in the NFL, seen Jones do it, thought it was funny. He was careful to separate the celebration from any political meaning.
NFL players arrived at the same conclusion independently. Nick Bosa performed it after a sack, followed by Brock Bowers, Calvin Ridley, and Za'Darius Smith — each offering the same reasoning: they watched the UFC fight, it looked cool, they went with it. The consistency of that explanation suggests something genuine: this is athletes borrowing a cultural moment, not making a political statement.
The dance has since crossed the Atlantic, appearing in English League One when Barnsley's Stephen Humphrys scored against Cambridge United, and on the golf course with Charley Hull at the Annika tournament. Whether it endures or fades, it has already done something quietly remarkable — a gesture tied to one of the most polarizing figures in modern politics has been cheerfully repurposed into something that, for now, simply belongs to whoever decides to wiggle.
Donald Trump, at 78, has become an unlikely fixture in the sports world—not as a team owner or commentator, but as the unwitting originator of a celebration that's spreading across professional athletics. The dance itself is simple: a stationary hip wiggle side to side, arms moving in sync, the kind of movement that might draw eye rolls at a family wedding but has somehow captured the attention of some of the world's most elite competitors.
The move emerged during Trump's campaign for a second presidential term, gaining particular prominence after his November victory over Kamala Harris. What began as a quirky personal gesture has evolved into something athletes are openly adopting at major moments—touchdowns, championship defenses, goal celebrations. The trend picked up visible momentum at UFC 309, where heavyweight champion Jon Jones performed the dance after defeating Stipe Miocic to retain his title. Trump was cageside to witness it. Jones pointed directly at the president-elect mid-celebration, then handed him the championship belt.
The adoption has spread rapidly through American sports. Christian Pulisic, captain of the U.S. men's soccer team, performed the dance after scoring against Jamaica, joined by teammates Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi. When asked about it afterward, Pulisic acknowledged the obvious: it's the Trump dance, and yes, everyone's doing it. He'd seen it the day before in the NFL, seen Jones do it at the UFC event. His explanation was straightforward—it struck him as funny, so he went with it. He was careful to note that the celebration had nothing to do with Trump's political status, framing it purely as a lighthearted moment.
NFL players have embraced it with similar enthusiasm. Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers was among the first to perform it on football's biggest stage, celebrating a sack. He was followed by Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, Tennessee Titans receiver Calvin Ridley, and Detroit Lions defensive end Za'Darius Smith. Bowers, when asked about his version, offered the same reasoning: he'd watched the UFC fight on Saturday night, seen Jones do it, thought it looked cool. The athletes performing the dance consistently describe it as entertainment rather than endorsement, a shared cultural moment rather than a political statement.
The trend has crossed the Atlantic. Stephen Humphrys, a forward for Barnsley in England's League One, performed his interpretation after scoring against Cambridge United. Golfer Charley Hull joined in while walking alongside Nelly Korda at the recently concluded Annika tournament, moving through the moment with visible enjoyment. What started as a campaign quirk has become a genuinely international sports phenomenon, adopted by athletes across different sports, different countries, and different levels of competition. Whether it remains a passing fad or becomes a fixture in the sports celebration lexicon remains to be seen, but for now, the dance belongs to no single political moment—it belongs to whoever decides to wiggle.
Notable Quotes
It was just a dance that everyone's doing. He's the one who created it. I just thought it was funny.— Christian Pulisic, USA soccer captain
I watched the UFC fight Saturday night and Jon Jones did it. I like watching UFC so I saw it, and thought it was cool.— Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders tight end
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Politics & Governance