Trump skipping Super Bowl because he's afraid of getting booed: report
President Donald Trump at Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025
President Donald Trump won't be in attendance at the biggest sporting event in the United States this year. And according to a new report, he's skipping out over fears that he may be booed by tens of thousands of people.
On Tuesday, Zeteo's Asawin Suebsaeng and Andrew Perez reported that one unnamed White House official feared Trump would get booed "big league" at Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California (the home stadium of the San Francisco 49ers). Suebsaeng and Perez wrote that Trump's advisors feared a wave of boos at the Super Bowl "would instantly create a wealth of viral video clips and media coverage that administration officials would prefer to avoid."
"[Booing is] another thing we don’t want right now," one Trump advisor anonymously confided to Zeteo.
The president has also reportedly complained that this year's Super Bowl is too "woke." He is particularly upset about Grammy-winning artist Bad Bunny headlining this year's halftime show, and rock band Green Day (whose frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong, is an outspoken critic of Trump) also performing.
"There was a time when the Super Bowl was neutral territory for presidents. That line has blurred – even disappeared," former Fox News host Eric Bolling told Zeteo. "In today’s politically polarized America, location can matter more than the event itself. This looks like a strategic decision, not a snub or a controversy."
Suebsaeng and Perez noted that Trump's polling has slid noticeably downward since his mixed reception of cheers and boos at last year's Super Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana. The president was also met with both applause and jeers last month in Miami, Florida when he attended the College Football Playoff championship game between the University of Indiana and the University of Miami. And when Trump attended a regular season NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders, the crowd could be heard viciously booing him for several minutes.
Trump reportedly being sensitive about negative crowd response may also stem from an appearance last year at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In June of 2025, both the president and First Lady Melania Trump were booed loudly after they made an appearance on opening night of the musical "Les Miserables," which is about a populist rebellion against a tyrannical king.
President Donald Trump at Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025
February 03, 2026
ALTERNET
President Donald Trump won't be in attendance at the biggest sporting event in the United States this year. And according to a new report, he's skipping out over fears that he may be booed by tens of thousands of people.
On Tuesday, Zeteo's Asawin Suebsaeng and Andrew Perez reported that one unnamed White House official feared Trump would get booed "big league" at Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California (the home stadium of the San Francisco 49ers). Suebsaeng and Perez wrote that Trump's advisors feared a wave of boos at the Super Bowl "would instantly create a wealth of viral video clips and media coverage that administration officials would prefer to avoid."
"[Booing is] another thing we don’t want right now," one Trump advisor anonymously confided to Zeteo.
The president has also reportedly complained that this year's Super Bowl is too "woke." He is particularly upset about Grammy-winning artist Bad Bunny headlining this year's halftime show, and rock band Green Day (whose frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong, is an outspoken critic of Trump) also performing.
"There was a time when the Super Bowl was neutral territory for presidents. That line has blurred – even disappeared," former Fox News host Eric Bolling told Zeteo. "In today’s politically polarized America, location can matter more than the event itself. This looks like a strategic decision, not a snub or a controversy."
Suebsaeng and Perez noted that Trump's polling has slid noticeably downward since his mixed reception of cheers and boos at last year's Super Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana. The president was also met with both applause and jeers last month in Miami, Florida when he attended the College Football Playoff championship game between the University of Indiana and the University of Miami. And when Trump attended a regular season NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders, the crowd could be heard viciously booing him for several minutes.
Trump reportedly being sensitive about negative crowd response may also stem from an appearance last year at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In June of 2025, both the president and First Lady Melania Trump were booed loudly after they made an appearance on opening night of the musical "Les Miserables," which is about a populist rebellion against a tyrannical king.
MAGA's Super Bowl halftime show will likely be a 'slow-motion train wreck': music editor
Robert Ritchie, known as Kid Rock, testifies on the cost of concert tickets before a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Phoenix New Times Music Editor Amy Young says far-right Turning Point USA was “groping” for artists to fill its so-called “All-American” halftime show, designed to counter the “darker-skinned” Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday.
“Announcing a big ol’ cynical show is one thing. It’s a very different task, however, to find artists who want to be the face of such a stunt,” said Young, adding that the organization finally settled on “Detroit’s claim of shame, Robert Ritchie, better known as Kid Rock.”
“No one is particularly shocked to see Confederate-flag-waving Kid Rock lead this charge,” said Young. “Opening for the rapper-turned-country-rocker that night will be another country artist, Brantley Gilbert, and then another country artist, Gabby Barrett, and, wait, we’re seeing a theme, right? Next up … um, country artist, Lee Brice.”
“… [I]f you find yourself asking ‘who?’ a couple of times, you might be residing at Camp You’re Not Alone, where TVs will be blaring the sets by actually popular, equally American musical acts Green Day and Bad Bunny,” Young added.
Young pointed out that TPUSA didn’t care when the National Football League hosted a legion of foreigners including British quartet Coldplay, Barbados citizen Rihanna, Canadian sensation The Weeknd, or Ireland’s U2. But when the it announced the appearance of Benito Antonio MartÃnez Ocasio, a.k.a. Bad Bunny, the MAGA’s backlash was ferocious. Bad Bunny raps primarily in Spanish, which “monolingual MAGA” apparently considers “a threat to ‘mericuh,” said Young.
It doesn’t matter that the 56 million Americans who speak Spanish make the United States the world’s second-largest Spanish-speaking country after Mexico. Nor does it apparently matter that Bad Bunny is a U.S. citizen.
“The willful misunderstanding of the fact that Puerto Ricans are indeed U.S. citizens demonstrates once again that MAGA acolytes interpret history and the law about as faithfully as they interpret the New Testament,” said Young. “From jump, Turning Point USA has had its milky sheets in a twist about the choice of Bad Bunny. The slow-motion train wreck it’s running this week is reminiscent of alleged comedian Tony Hinchcliffe describing Puerto Rico as a ‘floating island of garbage’ at a Trump rally, a full-speed train wreck.”
“You may be wondering how to watch this soon-to-be-failed-attempt at a ratings grab. Well, you can probably track down that information yourself, if you’re morbidly curious,” Young said. “Usually we like to provide viewing information. In this case, we genuinely DGAF.”
Robert Ritchie, known as Kid Rock, testifies on the cost of concert tickets before a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
February 04, 2026
ALTERNET
Phoenix New Times Music Editor Amy Young says far-right Turning Point USA was “groping” for artists to fill its so-called “All-American” halftime show, designed to counter the “darker-skinned” Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday.
“Announcing a big ol’ cynical show is one thing. It’s a very different task, however, to find artists who want to be the face of such a stunt,” said Young, adding that the organization finally settled on “Detroit’s claim of shame, Robert Ritchie, better known as Kid Rock.”
“No one is particularly shocked to see Confederate-flag-waving Kid Rock lead this charge,” said Young. “Opening for the rapper-turned-country-rocker that night will be another country artist, Brantley Gilbert, and then another country artist, Gabby Barrett, and, wait, we’re seeing a theme, right? Next up … um, country artist, Lee Brice.”
“… [I]f you find yourself asking ‘who?’ a couple of times, you might be residing at Camp You’re Not Alone, where TVs will be blaring the sets by actually popular, equally American musical acts Green Day and Bad Bunny,” Young added.
Young pointed out that TPUSA didn’t care when the National Football League hosted a legion of foreigners including British quartet Coldplay, Barbados citizen Rihanna, Canadian sensation The Weeknd, or Ireland’s U2. But when the it announced the appearance of Benito Antonio MartÃnez Ocasio, a.k.a. Bad Bunny, the MAGA’s backlash was ferocious. Bad Bunny raps primarily in Spanish, which “monolingual MAGA” apparently considers “a threat to ‘mericuh,” said Young.
It doesn’t matter that the 56 million Americans who speak Spanish make the United States the world’s second-largest Spanish-speaking country after Mexico. Nor does it apparently matter that Bad Bunny is a U.S. citizen.
“The willful misunderstanding of the fact that Puerto Ricans are indeed U.S. citizens demonstrates once again that MAGA acolytes interpret history and the law about as faithfully as they interpret the New Testament,” said Young. “From jump, Turning Point USA has had its milky sheets in a twist about the choice of Bad Bunny. The slow-motion train wreck it’s running this week is reminiscent of alleged comedian Tony Hinchcliffe describing Puerto Rico as a ‘floating island of garbage’ at a Trump rally, a full-speed train wreck.”
“You may be wondering how to watch this soon-to-be-failed-attempt at a ratings grab. Well, you can probably track down that information yourself, if you’re morbidly curious,” Young said. “Usually we like to provide viewing information. In this case, we genuinely DGAF.”
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