Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Performance Sparks MAGA Backlash
President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement has launched a vehement critique of Bad Bunny’s halftime show during Super Bowl LX, questioning the Puerto Rican artist’s authenticity as an American representative. This criticism comes despite the fact that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, a detail seemingly lost on some detractors.
Trump, who previously labeled Bad Bunny a “terrible choice” for the NFL’s marquee event, took to Truth Social to express his discontent with the show, which marked the first halftime performance predominantly in Spanish. “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying,” he lamented in a lengthy post.
At Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, delivered a 13-minute tribute to Puerto Rico, featuring vibrant visuals like sugarcane fields and traditional bodegas. While fans celebrated this homage to Puerto Rican culture, MAGA supporters were less than impressed.
Since being announced as the Super Bowl headliner in September, Bad Bunny has become a lightning rod for conservative criticism, largely due to his outspoken political activism. He has not shied away from challenging Trump’s hard-line immigration policies, famously declaring “ICE out” during his Grammy Awards appearance, where his album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” made history as the first all-Spanish record to win Album of the Year. This backdrop left many curious about the messages he might convey to millions of football fans during his Super Bowl set.
However, Bad Bunny refrained from directly addressing Trump or his policies during the halftime show. The only English words he uttered as he concluded his performance were “God bless America,” while parading with Latin and South American flags, alongside the American flag. He capped off his set by spiking a football adorned with the phrase: “together, we are America.” Additionally, his performance subtly referenced Puerto Rico’s ongoing struggles with its power grid.
In the aftermath of the show, MAGA loyalists voiced their discontent with the predominance of Spanish in Bad Bunny’s set. Nick Adams, a Trump appointee aspiring to become the ambassador to Malaysia, questioned on X, “Was a single word of English spoken during the Super Bowl Halftime Show? Someone needs to tell Bad Bunny he’s in America. This is an abomination.”
Far-right influencer Laura Loomer took to X to express her outrage, suggesting that border czar Tom Homan should initiate an immigration raid at the venue. Her sentiments reflected a broader discontent, as she declared, “There’s nothing American about any of this,” lamenting that the Super Bowl no longer felt enjoyable due to perceived immigrant influences.
Meanwhile, influencer Jake Paul urged his followers to “turn off this halftime,” denouncing Bad Bunny as a “fake American citizen who publicly hates America.” His remarks, however, drew backlash, including a rebuttal from his brother Logan.
Numerous voices, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), pointed out the irony that Puerto Ricans are indeed U.S. citizens, and that Paul himself has been living there since 2021.
Others in Trump’s circle echoed similar sentiments of disapproval. Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino dismissed Bad Bunny’s performance on a podcast episode, stating it “sucked.” Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, indicated on X that her family would not be watching the performance.
Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) went as far as to label the show “disgusting,” claiming it violated broadcast standards. He announced plans to write to the FCC Chair Brendan Carr, asserting, “Had he said these lyrics — and all of the other disgusting and pornographic filth in English on live TV, the broadcast would have been pulled down and the fines would have been enormous. Lock them up.”
In response to the halftime controversy, conservatives rallied around alternative programming. The conservative group Turning Point USA, founded by Charlie Kirk, organized a competing halftime show featuring Kid Rock, which received endorsements from various Republican officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
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