Adedokun Waliyu 
U.S. President Donald Trump has given Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show a thumbs down, calling the performance “an affront to the Greatness of America.”
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday evening. “It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.”
The most-streamed artist in the world and six-time Grammy winner played a medley of hit songs, including Tití Me Preguntó and Yo Perreo Sola, and was joined by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. But Trump hit out at Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, for singing in Spanish.
“Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World,” Trump wrote. “This ‘Show’ is just a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day — including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History!”
Prior to his performance, Bad Bunny promised viewers “a huge party” that would pay tribute to his Puerto Rican heritage.
Bad Bunny introduced himself to the crowd at Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, Calif., in Spanish, which the Associated Press translated. “My name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, and if I’m here today at Super Bowl 60 it’s because I never, ever stopped believing in myself and you should also believe in yourself, you’re worth more than you think,” he said.
Despite his previous anti-Trump remarks, at the end of his act, Bad Bunny rhymed off the names of countries in North, South, and Central America, including Canada and Mexico, and held a football to the camera that read, “Together We Are America.” A slogan on the video screen behind him flashed the words, “THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE.”
But Trump said there was “nothing inspirational” in Bad Bunny’s 13-minute production, and called the staging a “mess.”
“Watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD,” Trump seethed.
Trump concluded his review by echoing his complaint about a new football rule brought in by the league in 2024 that limits who can move on the kicking and receiving teams during kickoff.
Trump didn’t attend the game telling the New York Post last month that he was skipping this year’s Super Bowl because it was “too far away.”
“I would. I’ve (gotten) great hands (at) the Super Bowl. They like me,” he said.
He also said he was skipping this year’s big game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots because he disliked Green Day, who played a set before kickoff, and Bad Bunny.
“I’m anti-them,” Trump said of the musical artists. “I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.”
Last year, Trump mocked pop star Taylor Swift after she was booed and he was cheered at Super Bowl 59.
“The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift. She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
After the NFL tapped Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime show performer last fall, Trump lashed out at his selection during an appearance on NewsMax’s Greg Kelly Reports in October.
“I’ve never heard of him… I don’t know who he is,” the president said. “I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s crazy … I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Megyn Kelly called Bad Bunny’s presence “a middle finger to MAGA and conservatives.”
Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre announced he wouldn’t be tuning in.
“Not familiar with Bad Bunny so don’t know if his music is good or bad. I’m just going to watch what I know Lee Brice, Kid Rock All-American Halftime Show,” Favre wrote on X.
Former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick suggested that “counter-shows” could be programmed during Bad Bunny’s set to appeal to viewers at home.
Turning Point USA stepped in and tapped Kid Rock to stage the All-American Halftime Show that was streamed on YouTube to more than 5.5 million viewers at the same time Bad Bunny took to the field at Levi’s Stadium.
“There’s a big portion of this country, like it or not, that’s underserved entertainment-wise. We’re just (going to) go play for our base. You know, people who love America, love football, love Jesus,” Kid Rock told Fox News.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested that Trump would be watching the Turning Point show.
“I think the president would much prefer a Kid Rock performance over Bad Bunny. I must say that,” Leavitt told reporters at Thursday’s White House press briefing.
But on social media, reaction to Kid Rock’s halftime alternative was mixed. The Detroit native earned praise for his heartfelt rendition of Cody Johnson’s Til Ya Can’t, but was jeered relentlessly for lip-syncing.
“All Kid Rock did was, horribly lip sync to a ’90s song no one cares about anymore,” one critic swiped, with another adding, “Kid Rock’s lip syncing is even more egregious than Ashlee Simpson and Millie Vanilli.”
