Donald Trump MAGA rally: President-elect dances with The Village People as Republicans welcome return

President-elect Donald Trump has spoken at his “Make America Great Again victory rally”, saying he will “take back our country”, before dancing with Village People

“We won,” Mr Trump said to deafening cheers from the Republican crowd.

“What a good feeling, we love winning.

“I’m thrilled to be back with so many friends, supporters and true American patriots on the eve of taking back our country. That’s what we are going to do, take back our country.

“Tomorrow at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of decline and we begin a brand new day of American strength prosperity, dignity and pride.”

Mr Trump said Americans will have “a lot of fun watching television tomorrow”.

“Every radical and foolish executive order of the Biden administration will be repealed within hours of taking the oath and taking office,” Mr Trump said.

Keeping his plans under wraps, Mr Trump teased that Republicans would be “very happy” with the decision he has made about the prosecution of January 6 rioters who stormed the Capitol in 2021, adding he would make the announcement on Monday local time.

Mr Trump said he was going to bring back law in the US, remove “radical wokeism” from the military and schools, drill for the “liquid gold” underneath the US and remove illegal immigrants.

“We’ve been through so much together, and together for the next four years I will fight for you,” Mr Trump said.

“This is the greatest political movement in American history.”

Mr Trump celebrated his popular vote win and his seven swing state wins, claiming they were all won by historical margins.

He called his win “too big to rig”.

Mr Trump said children in 30 - 50 years time will remember him for doing a “good job”.

“Starting tomorrow, I will act with historic speed and strength and fix every single crisis facing our country. We have to, otherwise we wont have a country,” he said.

Citing the “Trump effect”, the president-elect celebrated Wall Street’s rise and pledges from businesses like Apple for “record US investments”.

Mr Trump said, “I like TikTok”, claiming it gave him a massive boost with young voters.

Addressing the release of the first three Israeli hostages, Mr Trump said it would not have happened without his November 2024 election win.

Mr Trump hinted at what his second term will look like for Americans.

“You are going to see executive orders that are going to make you very happy, lots of them”

“By the time the sun sets tomorrow evening, the illegal invasion of our borders will end.”

“Will create the new Department of Government efficiency, headed by a great gentleman, Elon Musk,” Mr Trump said before calling Mr Musk to the stage.

The X and SpaceX owner took to the stage with his child, also named X,

Appearing unprepared to speak, Mr Musk spoke about how he was going to do “great things”.

The Republican spent time thanking his family, Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, Dana White from the UFC and his Republican political supporters.

Mr Trump committed to rebuilding California, saying it will be “more beautiful than ever before”, adding the Olympics will go ahead in Los Angeles.

The president-elect again committed to slashing taxes, ending the war in Ukraine and preventing World War III from happening, saying: “You have no idea how close we are.”

“We will be a free and proud nation once again. That will happen at 12 noon tomorrow.”

As Mr Trump ending his speech with his battle cry that he will “make America great again”, Village People took to the stage to perform the YMCA.

Mr Trump stood onstage dancing with the members dressed as a cowboy, construction worker, police officer, army officer, a motorcycle rider and a man wearing a traditional Native American Indian headdress.

Thousands of supporters packed the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. on Sunday, dancing as musician Kid Rock performed as Republicans waited for Mr Trump.

Speaking before the president-elect’s arrival, Steve Witkoff, a New York property tycoon and Mr Trump’s Middle East envoy who has been instrumental in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations, said: “I just received on my phone pictures of the first three hostages that have been released.”

The crowd erupted into cheers, chanting “USA” as Mr Witkoff appeared emotional sharing the news.

“We had a great team but it doesn’t happen without Donald J. Trump.

“The president was response for this release and we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”

The rally resemble the free-wheeling speaking events that have become a Republican staple since Mr Trump’s first White House campaign in 2016.

The event marked his first major address in Washington since he delivered a speech on Jan. 6, 2021, to his supporters that preceded the storming of the US Capitol.

Stephen Miller, a top adviser to Mr Trump, told the audience that Mr Trump would issue an executive order on Monday “ending the border invasion, sending the illegals home and taking America back,” drawing cheers.

Ahead of the rally, his fans, many dressed in Mr Trump’s trademark red jackets and MAGA hats, waited in a cold, driving rain along several downtown Washington blocks, some chanting “USA! USA!”

Val Tordjman, 58, had travelled across the country from Denver with tickets to watch the inauguration. When he heard the ceremony was being moved inside, notably cutting the size of the in-person audience, he said, “I felt like crying.”

Mr Tordjman said he planned to spend the night on the street next to the arena, despite temperatures forecast to plunge to around 19 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 degrees Celsius). He said he had yet to see Mr Trump in person.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said.

Large swaths of the streets around the US Capitol and White House have been blocked off by steel fences since last week, and police were visible throughout the city.

- With Reuters