Dancing, whether well-executed or outright flailsome, is among the earliest forms of human communication. From the ancient and cultural performances that endure acros generations to joining in for the Cha-Cha Slide at a family wedding, dance is a way to convey messages, meaning, emotion.
Christian Pulisic likes to dance. His love for moving his body isn’t a newfound fad or a reluctant participation after scoring his increasingly frequent goals. During his time with Chelsea, he occasionally made the rounds on TikTok trying out the platform’s craze of the week.
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Is he our generation’s Bob Fosse? Of course not. His footwork is instead scrutinized in the context of a soccer match. He still seems to enjoy dancing quite a bit, as many an amateur hoofer does, and is eager to tap into TikTok’s endless carousel of moves — even when the latest trend takes direct influence from the polarizing president-elect Donald Trump.
Pulisic also likes playing for the United States men’s national team. His Chelsea tenure saw the national team become a safe haven of sorts for Pennsylvania’s native son, a team for which he could play with more freedom and confidence than he could for the London club. His history with the USMNT predates TikTok’s launch by half a year, so one may surmise his role on the team is more important to him than how well he can hit the griddy (ask your kids).
Actually, we don’t have to guess. After his team’s 4-2 win over Jamaica on Monday night, the 26-year-old reflected on his stature on the USMNT in light of making the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal.
“I am grateful to be in this position,” Pulisic said. “Obviously, I have been in this team for quite a while. I’m kind of like a veteran on this team. I enjoy it. I hope I can be a good leader, especially to some of the young players, and continue to push this team.”
No doubt, this is not the quote from him you’ve seen most often from that post-match availability. It came after he faced a pair of inquiries about his celebration of the opening goal, where he did the two-handed gesture that was a hallmark of Trump’s during his ultimately triumphant run to regain the United States presidency.
“Well obviously, that’s the Trump dance,” Pulisic said. “It was just a dance that everyone’s doing. He’s the one who created it. I just thought it was funny.”
And when asked if copying Trump’s wiggle constituted a political statement: “No, not at all,” Pulisic said. “It’s not a political dance. It was just for fun. I saw a bunch of people do it and I thought it was funny, so I enjoyed it. I hope some people did, at least.”
Pulisic scored the USMNT’s opening goal against Jamaica (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Pulisic can dance if he wants to. Any fan of 1980s one-hit wonders knows that. But it’s one thing to say you’re a leader and another to do what leaders do: consider how their actions will be perceived by their teammates and others. And yes, that extends to dances — especially when you’re literally mimicking the dance of an elected leader. Rather than any of the countless apolitical shimmies he could have chosen, this was a deliberate reference.
Depending on who you ask, his dance either became a loud sideshow to the most promising team performance of Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure to date, or it overshadowed it on an international stage. Look for coverage around the world and searching “Pulisic dance” draws more hits from non-American outlets than “USMNT Jamaica Nations League”.
Some things are bigger than soccer, no matter how impressive the build-up to a goal was. The ramifications of Trump’s election will have an immeasurably greater impact on citizens of the nation that Pulisic represents — as well as those of the countries who serve as the USMNT’s opponents — than anything he or any player will accomplish on the pitch.
U.S. Soccer didn’t appear to think it was particularly “funny”. Both clips of the Milan winger’s goal on the USMNT’s social media profiles abruptly stop as Pulisic crouches into his celebration. Broadcasters’ posts, however, captured the dance move and were therefore shared widely in all corners of these platforms.
Whether Pulisic likes it or not, copying Trump’s gesture has transcended sports. Outlets across the political spectrum that seldom cover sports picked up on the fact that the most notable male soccer player from the United States co-opted the move.
Social media accounts packaged the clip to serve their purposes — whether positioning Pulisic as a champion of the candidate who won the 2024 election’s popular vote, or admonishing him for paying tribute to a president-elect who has promised radical change that’ll be felt by many groups of people who aren’t heterosexual white men.
Pulisic is enjoying one of the finest seasons of his career so far for both the USMNT and Milan (Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images)
Sport’s global superstars are given a massive platform and, with it, corresponding responsibility. It isn’t unique to the American sports landscape. When Christmas comes next month, many will be watching whether or not Mohamed Salah — who is Muslim — will continue his near-annual tradition of posting season’s greetings. Innocuous acts like dancing or donning matching red-and-green pajamas with one’s family can resonate.
Pulisic is now in a new phase of his playing career. The detractors of his performance with Chelsea have faded as he continues to tear up Serie A, and he’s generally assessed among the most in-form attackers in the planet. While he’s been the face of the USMNT for over half a decade, his global stock has never been higher.
In the immediate wake of a presidential election which carries tremendous global consequence, even a dance move is going to be studied closely as an embodiment of his nation’s tenor. He may not realize how Trump’s views on immigration could impact his dual-national teammates and their families. Regardless, this is a case where a dance conveys a meaning well beyond a simple gesture. With his nation co-hosting the World Cup in 2026, having the captain and face of the USMNT paying homage to Trump carries outsized subtext, intended or not.
It doesn’t matter if Pulisic wants that responsibility to consider perception. That comes with being a leader. He can cite eagerness to embrace that type of role but in light of Monday’s dance move, he’d be wise to consider what that distinction truly entails.
(Top photo: Omar Vega/Getty Images)
