WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump called the Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show “absolutely terrible” in a Truth Social post after the performance ended Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The president said the show “makes no sense” and is “an affront to the Greatness of America,” extending a brewing argument over the NFL’s decision to book the Puerto Rican superstar, Feb. 8, 2026.
In his Bad Bunny Super Bowl critique, Trump wrote that “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” and argued it failed to meet the country’s “standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence,” according to a Reuters report.
Bad Bunny, 31, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, headlined the Apple Music show with a mostly Spanish-language run through reggaeton hits, elaborate set pieces and surprise appearances by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. The performance opened with “Tití Me Preguntó,” wove in nods to Puerto Rican life, and ended with a stadium message reading, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” as flags from across the Americas were displayed, Reuters reported.
Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show puts Puerto Rico in the spotlight
For many viewers in Puerto Rico, the Bad Bunny Super Bowl moment was treated less like an intermission and more like a cultural milestone. The Associated Press described watch parties that quieted for the roughly 13-minute performance, with fans celebrating a hometown artist’s rise while also responding to online complaints that a Spanish-heavy set did not “feel American.”
Bad Bunny’s halftime appearance followed a year of heightened attention around the singer, including major awards and a public profile that reaches far beyond music. The star has previously criticized Trump’s deportation policies and has leaned into themes of identity and migration in recent work, even as Sunday’s set largely avoided direct partisan messaging.
Trump’s post went further than a standard celebrity critique. ABC News reported that he called the show a “slap in the face” to the country and complained that “nobody understands a word” of the mostly Spanish performance, while also criticizing the choreography as inappropriate for children.
Why the Bad Bunny Super Bowl backlash didn’t start at halftime
Trump had signaled frustration weeks earlier, saying he would skip the trip to California because it was “too far away” and calling the league’s choice of Bad Bunny “absolutely ridiculous,” as detailed in a Jan. 24 Reuters story.
The NFL did not reverse course. ESPN reported in late January that the league stood by its decision despite criticism from Trump and his allies, noting the NFL’s broader push to grow its Latino and international audience — and pointing out that Bad Bunny also appeared during the 2020 halftime show headlined by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.
Bad Bunny’s political profile has also helped shape the reaction. In October 2024, The Guardian reported that he and Ricky Martin shared videos supporting Kamala Harris after offensive remarks about Puerto Rico surfaced at a Trump rally in New York.
Seattle beat New England 29-13, but the loudest postgame noise online centered on what the Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show should represent: pure entertainment, a celebration of Puerto Rican culture, or another proxy fight in a divided political moment.
