GRAND RAPIDS — The rally was entering its third hour. The atmosphere inside the Van Andel Arena was sweltering, a cauldron of red hats and raucous chants. As the former President paused for dramatic effect, leaning into the microphone to deliver a line about “restoring American strength,” the audio engineer cued the track.
The booming, martial drums kicked in. Then, the synth-strings. Then, the voice—a voice that has been a staple of American pop culture for nearly sixty years—filled the stadium.
“Let’s get down to business… to defeat… the Huns.”
The crowd roared. They pumped their fists to the rhythm of “I’ll Make a Man Out of You,” the iconic anthem from Disney’s Mulan. To the campaign, it was a song about toughness, alpha-masculinity, and winning. But to Donny Osmond, the man who provided the singing voice for Captain Li Shang in 1998, it was a theft of character.
By the time the chorus hit—“Be a man! You must be swift as the coursing river!”—Osmond’s legal team in Las Vegas was already drafting the paperwork. By the next morning, the man known as the nicest guy in show business had dropped the smile.
In a move that stunned the entertainment industry, Donny Osmond issued a statement that was uncharacteristically scorching. “I have spent my entire life in the public eye trying to represent values of kindness, family, and honor,” the statement read. “To hear a song about the discipline of character used to prop up a movement built on bullying and grievance is a disgrace. You cannot co-opt a song about true strength to sell a cheap imitation of it.”
The Boy Scout vs. The Bully
The conflict is jarring because of the players involved. Donny Osmond is the ultimate Swiss Switzerland of pop culture. He is a devout Mormon, a family man, and an entertainer who has survived decades by remaining broadly appealing and notoriously apolitical. He is the “Puppy Love” teen idol who grew up to be the consummate Las Vegas showman.
For him to enter the political fray is significant. It signals a breach of etiquette that went too far.
“This isn’t about politics for Donny; it’s about brand integrity,” says pop culture critic Mark Harris. “Donny Osmond’s brand is wholesomeness. It is discipline. It is ‘Soldier of Love.’ To have his voice—which is very distinctive—associated with the chaotic, aggressive rhetoric of a Trump rally is damaging. It implies an endorsement he never gave.”
The Irony of the Anthem
The choice of “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” carries a thick layer of irony that Osmond was quick to point out in subsequent interviews. The song, written by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel, appears in a film about a woman (Mulan) who has to disguise herself as a man to prove her worth in a patriarchal society. It is a song that deconstructs the very idea of “manliness” even as it celebrates it.
“The campaign hears the words ‘Be a Man’ and thinks it fits their narrative of tough-guy politics,” Osmond told Variety. “They missed the point of the movie. Captain Shang learns that strength doesn’t come from muscles; it comes from the heart. It comes from honoring your commitments. That is not what I saw on that stage last night.”
Legal and Moral Grounds
Osmond’s attorneys are reportedly filing a cease-and-desist order, but they are also threatening a lawsuit under the Lanham Act for false endorsement. The argument is that Donny Osmond’s voice is so recognizable—specifically in the context of that song, which has become a generational touchstone for Millennials—that playing it constitutes an implied stamp of approval.
“He’s fighting for the definition of masculinity,” says legal analyst Dan Abrams. “Osmond is saying, ‘I am the voice of that song, and I define what that song represents. It represents discipline, not demagoguery.’”
The Social Media Firestorm
The reaction online was immediate and polarized. Supporters of the President mocked Osmond as a “washed-up teen idol,” while the “Donny & Marie” fanbase—a surprisingly formidable demographic—mobilized in his defense.
TikTok, where “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” remains a viral staple, flooded with videos of users lip-syncing to the song with captions supporting Osmond. The hashtag #CaptainShangSpeaks began trending, with fans contrasting the fictional integrity of the Disney character with the political reality of the rally.
The Soldier Stands Firm
What makes this battle distinct from other artists suing politicians—like Neil Young or the Rolling Stones—is the personal nature of the song. Osmond has often spoken about how playing the singing voice of Li Shang helped him transition from a “teenybopper” to a respected adult artist. He takes the song seriously. He performs it in his Vegas residency with full choreography. It is a piece of his identity.
In a follow-up video posted to his Instagram, Osmond sat at a piano, looking somber.
“Music is powerful,” he said softly. “It can mobilize armies, and it can heal wounds. But it must be wielded with respect. If you want to talk about being a man, let’s talk about being a man of your word. Let’s talk about protecting the weak, not attacking them. That is the song I sang. And that is the song I will defend.”
The rally playlists may change, but the message has been sent. Donny Osmond, the man who sang “I’ll Make a Man Out of You,” has drawn a line in the sand, proving that sometimes, the most polite man in the room is the one you really don’t want to cross. The music stopped, but the Captain is just getting started.
