“Right now, there are two iterations of Village People – the Willis outfit playing for Trump, and Kings of Disco, a touring outfit made up of Newman alongside the original member Alex Briley (GI), Ray Simpson (who replaced Willis as the “cop” in 1980), Eric Anzalone (the “biker” from 1995 after the original member Glenn Hughes hung up his leathers), Bill Whitefield (the “construction worker” from 2013, replacing David Hodo), and Andrew Pacho (the “Native American” character since 2013).

When contacted by the Guardian, former members declined to speak on the record for fear of Willis, whom one described as “extremely litigious”.

Depending on how you look at it, it’s depressingly ironic or strangely apt that Village People are the latest puppets in Trump’s theatre of absurdity. As the new president sets in motion executive orders that threaten LGBTQ+ rights, he finds fellow cartoonish figures in the six-piece that happen to share his love of a well-crafted stage persona. (When asked recently if the president could stand to learn anything from drag, the performer Bianca Del Rio spluttered: “He’s already wearing makeup, wig and heels.”) At the pre-inauguration event, the six-piece flanked the politician on stage for YMCA while he did his little fist-bumping dance, a move apparently known as the “double jerk”.