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WATCH: Legendary Band Travels Halfway Around The World To Sing For Marco Rubio


When Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels abroad, he really makes a statement … especially if it happens to be just a few days until his birthday.

While in India over the weekend for celebrations related to the United States’ 250th anniversary, some special guests with their own ties to President Donald Trump made a surprise appearance to serenade him.

The Village People, the band that recorded Trump’s rally anthem “YMCA,” showed up in New Delhi and personally wished Rubio a happy birthday, as Breitbart reported:

Rubio is in the country for meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his counterpart External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and other high-level officials. Given the milestone birthday celebration expected in July for the United States, American Ambassador Sergio Gor and his team organized a gala event on Sunday to kick off festivities marking the occasion. The American diplomats also organized a surprise for their country’s top diplomat whose birthday is on May 28.

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According to New Delhi Television (NDTV), Gor invited Rubio on stage towards the end of the event and surprised him with a large cake and the disco band. The version of the Village People attending is the updated lineup led by founding member Victor Willis, the police officer, who has embraced President Donald Trump’s use of and appreciation for the iconic song “Y.M.C.A.” The band performed the song after singing “Happy Birthday” to Rubio.

His trip to India has been widely chronicled on social media:

Here’s the full text from the post above:

NOW — Q: “There has been a lot of racism, racist comments coming from the US against Indians. What is your response?”

MARCO RUBIO: “Every country in the world has stupid people. I’m sure there are stupid people here.”

“There are stupid people in the United States that make dumb comments all the time. I don’t know what else to tell you other than the United States is a very welcoming country.”

“Our nation has been enriched by people who come to our country, have come from our country, from all over the world, have become Americans, have assimilated into our way of life, and have contributed greatly.”

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Fox News reported on a more serious portion of Rubio’s visit:

“What I want to leave clear is that the changes, while they may be having a disproportionate impact on a place like India that provides so many high-skilled workers to the U.S. economy, it is not a system that is targeted at India,” Rubio said during a Sunday news conference in New Delhi, India. “It is one that’s being applied globally.”

India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar pushed back in his remarks.

“I apprised Secretary Rubio of challenges that legitimate travelers face in respect of visa issuance,” Jaishankar said.

“While we cooperate to deal with illegal and irregular mobility, our expectation is that legal mobility would not be adversely impacted as a consequence.  After all, this is very relevant to our business, technology, and research cooperation,” he said.

Ultimately, Rubio – a son of Cuban immigrants – stressed that the U.S. values India as a “strategic ally” and vital trade partner, but immigration policy must be America First under Trump.

Here’s some additional coverage:



 

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