Bad Bunny delivered a vibrant homage to Puerto Rico during Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show, producing a high-energy journey through the island's culture complete with a surprise appearance by Lady Gaga and a tribute from reggaeton pioneer Daddy Yankee.
Issued on: 09/02/2026
By: FRANCE 24
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny on Sunday turned the Super Bowl into a giant street party, emphasizing unity over division in his groundbreaking Spanish-language set – but still earning President Donald Trump's scorn.
Anticipation was high for the 31-year-old's set, amid rampant speculation about whether he would use his platform to renew his criticism of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in front of tens of millions of viewers.
But the wildly popular musician, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, instead made good on his pre-game promise to joyously share his culture – and largely avoided overt political statements in favor of subtle messaging through symbols.
In a set featuring a sugar cane plantation, a traditional "piragua" cart selling treats, and even a wedding, he opened with "Titi Me Pregunto" and feminist anthem "Yo Perreo Sola," with a cast of dancers fueling the party atmosphere.
Actors Pedro Pascal and Jessica Alba, and rapper Cardi B were among the guest stars vibing in his familiar "La Casita" backdrop, representing a home in Puerto Rico.
Bad Bunny wore an all-white ensemble, with a football jersey featuring the number "64" and "Ocasio," before donning a classy suit jacket.
He delved into more political territory with "El Apagon" (Blackout), which touches on the displacement of Puerto Ricans on their own island, and the constant problems caused by the unreliable power grid. He carried a Puerto Rican flag at one point.
The performance also included a young boy watching the Grammys on an old television set. Bad Bunny, who won the Album of the Year prize a week ago, presented the child – perhaps a younger version of himself – with a golden gramophone.
The internet went wild with unverified rumors that the child was Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old Ecuadoran boy recently detained by US immigration agents in Minnesota.
An NFL spokesman confirmed to AFP that the boy was an actor, and an Instagram post seemingly from the child in question, Lincoln Fox, was hashtagged #youngbadbunny.
Surprise musical guests included Lady Gaga, who sang a Latin-inflected version of her hit "Die with a Smile" – the only English lyrics in the show – and Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin.
'Affront'
At the Grammys, Bad Bunny made a searing statement about Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown, earning cheers for saying "ICE out" from the stage.
But on Sunday, he did not call out the Republican president.
At the end of the set, after listing Latin American countries, Puerto Rico, the United States and Canada, Bad Bunny spiked a football that said "Together, we are America."
A giant screen in the stadium read: "The only thing more powerful than hate is love."
Trump nevertheless quickly took issue with the performance, saying: "Nobody understands a word this guy is saying" – even though government data shows more than 41 million Americans speak Spanish.
Posting on his Truth Social account, he called the show "an affront to the Greatness of America."
Early backlash
Bad Bunny has been Spotify's most-streamed artist in the world four separate times, including last year, and won Album of the Year at the Grammys with "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos" – the first Spanish-language work to win music's highest accolade.
But the decision to showcase his work at the Super Bowl in California was met with conservative outrage – specifically about the idea that he would not sing in English.
The NFL entered into an agreement in 2019 with Jay-Z's entertainment company Roc Nation, which leads the league's entertainment strategy.
Since that time, the list of Super Bowl headliners included Jennifer Lopez and Shakira (with a guest spot for Bad Bunny), but the duo did not perform exclusively in Spanish, leaving Bad Bunny to set that benchmark.
From Vega Baja to Super Bowl
Bad Bunny grew up in Vega Baja, a small municipality near Puerto Rico's capital San Juan.
He was working at a supermarket bagging groceries when he got a call from a label over his viral plays on the DIY platform SoundCloud.
Thus began the reggaeton star's rapid explosion to the top of global music.
Late last year, Bad Bunny released "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos," a history lesson in Puerto Rican music that he promoted with a hometown concert residency in San Juan and a world tour.
In Puerto Rico, a US territory since 1898, there was nothing but pride for the island's native son.
"For someone from here to be at one of the most important events in the United States is a source of pride for every Puerto Rican," Olvin Reyes, 39, told AFP.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
America’s most-watched television event is not just about sports, it captures the zeitgeist of the nation every year. Here are the top picks of the 2026 Super Bowl entertainment acts and ads, reflecting some of the hopes and anxieties of the times.
Issued on: 09/02/2026
By: FRANCE 24
Super Bowl, the USA’s biggest annual sporting event, kicked off to a boring start, with NFL fans moaning about a defensive struggle between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, which saw not a single touchdown in the first half of the game.
But if there was little excitement in the game, there were plenty outside the playing field. America’s most-watched television event is not just about sports, it’s about culture, and the 2026 Super Bowl once again captured the country’s zeitgeist.
Here are some of the non-sporting highlights of the world superpower’s one-night ode to competition, capitalism and entertainment.
Bad Bunny proves not so bad
The top Super Bowl cultural moment is never a rabbit-out-of-a-hat act, and this year, it was a pre-announced big bunny.
Puerto Rican superstar Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, aka “Bad Bunny”, took the stage at the Levi’s Stadium on Sunday exactly a week after he delivered his searing Grammy-winning speech blasting ICE and the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
READ MORE Bad Bunny’s 2026 Grammy Awards triumph becomes protest against ICE
But at the Super Bowl, the 31-year-old superstar opted for far more subtle messaging. Instead of calling out the Republican president’s xenophobia, Bad Bunny delivered a triumphant celebration of diversity, love and above all, a tribute to his self-governed Caribbean home that is part of US “commonwealth” territory.
Politics of subtility was on full display as Bad Bunny belted out "El Apagon" (Blackout), a song that underscored the hypocrisy of the term “commonwealth” since Puerto Ricans still face Third World problems of an unreliable energy grid – which powers their displacement to the mainland.
On Sunday, Bad Bunny’s surprise star guests included Lady Gaga, whose Latin-inflected version of her hit "Die with a Smile" featured the only English lyrics in the show.
READ MOREBad Bunny brings Puerto Rico pride to Super Bowl, angering Trump
The historic all-Spanish act earned President Donald Trump’s ire. "Nobody understands a word this guy is saying," said Trump on his Truth Social account, putting himself at odds with more than 41 million Americans who speak Spanish. The show, he noted, was “an affront to the Greatness of America".
Green Day has had its day politically
California punk-pop vets Green Day took the pre-game stage this year to render a tribute to the Super Bowl's 60th edition.
Green Day lead singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong has been around since the 1980s and is not one to mince his political words. The expectations were high, particularly since Armstrong, at a San Francisco event just days before the Super Bowl, called on ICE agents to “quit their shitty jobs”.
But on Sunday, Green Day opted to omit their political hard-hitters – much to the delight of Fox News. “Trump critics take issue with Green Day's Super Bowl LX performance,” read a Fox headline above an explanatory, “Trump critics wanted Green Day to criticize the president on the Super Bowl stage".
When the group launched into “Holiday”, Trump opponents were on alert for the group’s most political bridge, which begins with the line “Sieg Heil to the President Gasman”, a dig at former President George W. Bush, who was president when the song was released in 2004.
But on Sunday, the band just skipped the controversial bridge and wrapped up the song.
“Disappointing show,” said one fan on X. “Pretty cowardly if you ask me. I expected real protest from them.”
For those outside the US awaiting a mass national mobilisation against Trump – and watching the rollover of much of corporate America instead – it was a fitting statement of the current times in the land of the free.
Mad for the ads
The second Sunday of February draws millions of Americans to their TV sets to watch the ads, an important part of the Super Bowl cultural package. In 2025, a record 127.7 million US viewers watched the game across television and streaming platforms, which means advertisers are willing to cough up millions for a Super Bowl spot.
This year's Super Bowl ads cost an average of $8 million per 30-second unit, but a handful of spots sold for a record $10 million-plus, Peter Lazarus, who leads advertising and partnerships for NBC Sports, told AP.
Super Bowl ads generate headlines, data, expert commentary as well as debates about what they say about consumers and markets today.
AI vs. AI
The business pundits were in agreement even before kick-off on Sunday: Artificial Intelligence (AI) would dominate this year’s Super Bowl.
They were not wrong.
Super Bowl 2026 sparked an AI advertising war when Anthropic aired a pair of commercials pointing out that Claude, its chatbot, doesn't have ads.
Humour and wit are important components of American ads and the Anthropic commercial ticked all the boxes in its 30-second spot. The ad features a nerdy young man struggling with pull-ups while a muscular bystander watches. The sweating young man asks the brawny man about achieving “six-pack abs”. But the bystander instead delivers a plug for a product – delivered in soulless, robotic style and content.
The skinny man looks disappointed with the reply before the kicker line fills the screen: “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude”.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the whiz behind ChatGPT, hit back at his competitor. In a long post on X, Altman said Anthropic was "clearly dishonest" and employed “doublespeak to use a deceptive ad to critique theoretical deceptive ads”.
Altman’s objections, alas, were not well received, with commentators on X noting that the Anthropic boss didn’t like the taste of his “own medicine” and that his reaction was “the digital equivalent of a toddler throwing a tantrum".
Who’s afraid of…Amazon
Amazon this year struck a nerve with an ad starring actor Chris Hemsworth that pokes fun of people's fears of AI. The ad ticked all the Super Bowl boxes, including a celebrity poking fun at technological anxiety.
But it didn’t go down well since it came days after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos fired journalists at the Washington Post, which he also owns, in addition to laying off 16,000 corporate workers, some of whom may be replaced with AI.
“I suspect this is meant to be funny,” Tim Calkins, a clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University, told AP. “But it might reinforce some people’s very real concerns about AI.”
Donald Trump slams Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show: “An affront to the Greatness of America”
Published on
Bad Bunny made history on one of the world’s most coveted stages, while Donald Trump ranted about the artist’s message of unity being “an affront to the Greatness of America”.
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny made history a few hours ago as the first male solo Latin artist to perform the Super Bowl halftime show.
His performance, entirely in Spanish, was an energetic celebration of various musical styles – from reggaeton and salsa to Latin trap – featuring guest spots from Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and even cameos from Pedro Pascal, Karol G, Cardi B and Jessica Alba.
Bad Bunny, one of the world’s most streamed artists – went on to expand the meaning of “God Bless America” to include all the nations of the Americas.
“God bless America, whether it’s Chile, Argentina,” Bad Bunny said as he listed more than 20 nations in North and South America.
He ended the show on a message of unity, with “Together, we are America” written on a ball and a huge screen reading: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
Hard sentiments to counter, but that didn’t stop Donald Trump.
Trump and his MAGA crowd have been up in arms about the choice of headliner for months, calling the decision “crazy”, “un-American” and “terrible”. His base also slammed Bad Bunny for being a “massive Trump hater”, an “anti-ICE activist”, and many bemoaned the fact that the artist has “no songs in English.”
Trump’s animosity only grew after Bad Bunny triumphed at the Grammys, with Bad Bunny delivering a message in protest of recent actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out! We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show AP PhotoUnsurprisingly, Trump - who was not at the show and attended a watch party in Florida - slammed Bad Bunny’s performance, calling it an “an affront to the Greatness of America” in a lengthy rant on Truth Social.
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence,” Trump wrote.
“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,” he fumed. “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! There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and 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.”
Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl halftime show AP PhotoIt’s unclear whether Trump was watching the alternative MAGA show, Turning Point USA’s “All American” halftime show, headlined by Kid Rock and brimming with imagery of Charlie Kirk.
The counterprogramming, which streamed online, garnered roughly four million views - at one point as many as 6 million concurrent views on YouTube.
Meanwhile, every Super Bowl typically pulls in an average of around 127 million – with last year’s set by Kendrick Lamar setting a record with 133.5 million.
Official viewership numbers for Bad Bunny’s show are not out at the time of writing, but will be revealed later today. Preliminary estimates seem to suggest that Bad Bunny may have bested Kendrick Lamar’s numbers last year. Whatever the official numbers are, it’s a done deal that the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show reached a significantly larger audience than the “All American” show.
Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl halftime show AP PhotoShortly after Bad Bunny’s set concluded, California Governor and vcal Trump opponent Gavin Newsom posted: “America, the beautiful. THANK YOU, BAD BUNNY.”
Elsewhere, Green Day, which were opening for Bad Bunny and have never shied away from taking swipes at Trump, kept their show in the same spirit, staying away from overt political statements.
While in keeping with the message of unity, many were disappointed that the band did not make any provocative statements. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong even refrained from singing the tweaked lyric “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda” when performing the band’s hit song ‘American Idiot’.
Official broadcaster NBC did mute Armstrong when he sang the lyric “The subliminal mindfuck America” during the song, and while some fans were disappointed by the lack of punk spirit, others were more supportive of the band’s performance.
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny made history a few hours ago as the first male solo Latin artist to perform the Super Bowl halftime show.
His performance, entirely in Spanish, was an energetic celebration of various musical styles – from reggaeton and salsa to Latin trap – featuring guest spots from Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and even cameos from Pedro Pascal, Karol G, Cardi B and Jessica Alba.
Bad Bunny, one of the world’s most streamed artists – went on to expand the meaning of “God Bless America” to include all the nations of the Americas.
“God bless America, whether it’s Chile, Argentina,” Bad Bunny said as he listed more than 20 nations in North and South America.
He ended the show on a message of unity, with “Together, we are America” written on a ball and a huge screen reading: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
Hard sentiments to counter, but that didn’t stop Donald Trump.
Trump and his MAGA crowd have been up in arms about the choice of headliner for months, calling the decision “crazy”, “un-American” and “terrible”. His base also slammed Bad Bunny for being a “massive Trump hater”, an “anti-ICE activist”, and many bemoaned the fact that the artist has “no songs in English.”
Trump’s animosity only grew after Bad Bunny triumphed at the Grammys, with Bad Bunny delivering a message in protest of recent actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out! We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”
Unsurprisingly, Trump - who was not at the show and attended a watch party in Florida - slammed Bad Bunny’s performance, calling it an “an affront to the Greatness of America” in a lengthy rant on Truth Social.
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence,” Trump wrote.
“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,” he fumed. “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! There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and 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.”
It’s unclear whether Trump was watching the alternative MAGA show, Turning Point USA’s “All American” halftime show, headlined by Kid Rock and brimming with imagery of Charlie Kirk.
The counterprogramming, which streamed online, garnered roughly four million views - at one point as many as 6 million concurrent views on YouTube.
Meanwhile, every Super Bowl typically pulls in an average of around 127 million – with last year’s set by Kendrick Lamar setting a record with 133.5 million.
Official viewership numbers for Bad Bunny’s show are not out at the time of writing, but will be revealed later today. Preliminary estimates seem to suggest that Bad Bunny may have bested Kendrick Lamar’s numbers last year. Whatever the official numbers are, it’s a done deal that the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show reached a significantly larger audience than the “All American” show.
Shortly after Bad Bunny’s set concluded, California Governor and vcal Trump opponent Gavin Newsom posted: “America, the beautiful. THANK YOU, BAD BUNNY.”
Elsewhere, Green Day, which were opening for Bad Bunny and have never shied away from taking swipes at Trump, kept their show in the same spirit, staying away from overt political statements.
While in keeping with the message of unity, many were disappointed that the band did not make any provocative statements. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong even refrained from singing the tweaked lyric “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda” when performing the band’s hit song ‘American Idiot’.
Official broadcaster NBC did mute Armstrong when he sang the lyric “The subliminal mindfuck America” during the song, and while some fans were disappointed by the lack of punk spirit, others were more supportive of the band’s performance.
The Spanish Super Bowl: Bad Bunny, language and identity crisis set for collision
Bad Bunny's all-Spanish performance at the 2026 Super Bowl coincides with a US immigration crackdown and the resurgence of debates over Puerto Rico's sovereignty and possible reintegration into the Spanish kingdom.
The Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, will not only be hosting tonight's Super Bowl, the conclusion of America's NFL season.
The all or nothing match is also the centre of one of the biggest cultural statements of the decade with the Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny headlining the world famous half-time show.
He's already ripped up the musical milestone book by becoming the first artist to win Album of the Year at the Grammys with a Spanish-language album.
We know his performance will be entirely in Spanish, and that's no small feat. Never before has anything like this happened in the history of the Super Bowl. It's not just an artistic act. It's a key moment in the midst of a period of US history filled with political and demographic tension.
Right now, speaking Spanish has become a symbol of identity, almost an act of resistance. It is the language that the population uses to challenge border control policies and demand solutions to Puerto Rico's status.
Spanish: a language of power on US soil
With more than 65 million Hispanics, the United States now ranks second in the world to Mexico as the country with the largest number of Spanish speakers. Evidence of the language is everywhere, from billboards, big brand advertising, bilingual schools, and of course in what people can watch or listen to via streaming sites.
The Super Bowl is America's biggest television event - an enormous cultural moment that echoes around the world, attracting an audience of hundreds of millions.
Yes, Hispanic and Latino artists such as Shakira and Jennifer López have already performed on that stage, but none have ever decided to only sing in Spanish at the event that epitomises the pinnacle of American culture and where English has been the norm. Donald Trump has already made clear that he will not attend the match. A counter protest event has also been announced this week with MAGA supporting acts getting together to make noise in celebration of "American faith, family and freedom."
Of course, Spanish taking that space also generates rejection from those who defend 'English Only' as if it were the backbone of the country.
For some, this is the validation they have been waiting decades for. For others, it is a threat, a sign that the country is 'losing' its linguistic identity.
But the figure of Bad Bunny goes beyond music. His voice represents millions of people who have been working and contributing culture for years, even if they're regarded by some as second-class citizens and therefore not a real part of the nation.
The contradiction of visibility: music versus raids
Music connects. It is a way for people to express what they feel, what they think, what hurts or excites them. Many artists use music to protest, to say what others are silent about. Now some musicians are dealing with the harsh reality of immigration raids and police operations that can put an end to both their work and freedom of expression.
The expectation surrounding Bad Bunny's performance coexists with a reality marked by fear, the separation of families and thecriminalisation of undocumented people, many of them part of the same audience that celebrates Latino visibility on global stages.
In contrast, Bad Bunny's presence in one of the most influential media spaces in the world acquires a particular symbolic charge; while Latino culture is exalted and massively consumed, immigration policies continue to put at risk those who sustain it on a daily basis.
The country that idolises an artist who sings in Spanish, that turns him into its pop superstar, is the same country where the authorities have imposed a harsh and violent crackdown on immigration controls.
In the last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted more operations than ever before, hitting mostly Latino communities in key states. Organisations have reported raids on factories, warehouses and entire neighbourhoods. Fear is spreading, even among legal citizens and families with mixed immigration status. All of this is evidence of a deep problem.
Although millions watch games and programmes in Spanish, there is still a lot of mistrust of the language outside of television, for example in job interviews or at police checkpoints. For many, the fact that Bad Bunny does not translate his songs is a way of protesting, of making clear their disagreement with the treatment of migrants.
As the government tightens laws and closes borders, Caribbean music continues to be heard in every corner of the United States. In politics, the tendency is to divide. Music does just the opposite: it unites. Where politicians put up walls, Caribbean music builds bridges.
Puerto Rico's legal and political limbo
Bad Bunny has always had Puerto Rico in his heart. The island has been a commonwealth for decades, and that leaves it in a state of limbo. Puerto Ricans are born US citizens, hold US passports and comply with federal laws, and may even end up in the military.
But, incredible as it sounds, they cannot vote in presidential elections and their representatives in Congress do not even have the right to vote. Puerto Rico is there, forced to comply, but unable to decide. It is a contradiction that weighs heavily.
The reality on the island is complicated, and it doesn't look like it will get better any time soon. Puerto Rico cannot make the most important decisions about its future. This only worsens the economic and infrastructure problems, which were already bad enough. After every hurricane or earthquake, it is clear how vulnerable the island is.
People are tired, they feel used. That contradiction fuels the anger and discourse of artists like Benito, who use their fame to remind people that, in many ways, Puerto Rico is still a colony, even if it flies the US flag.
The historical alternative: the movement for reunification with Spain
In recent years, an idea has emerged that sounds far-fetched to some and logical to others: What if Puerto Rico were once again part of Spain? This is what the Spanish Reunification Movement proposes. It argues that in 1898, when the United States took over the island after the war with Spain, they ignored the will of the Puerto Ricans.
Spain, in fact, had already given them some autonomy in 1897. This movement wants Puerto Rico to return as an autonomous community, like those that already exist in Spain. Their arguments are increasingly appearing in international forums. They argue that the cultural and linguistic connection with Spain would help protect Spanish and prevent it from being diluted by US influence.
Moreover, if Puerto Rico were Spanish, its citizens would gain the rights of any European: mobility, services and labour rights that they cannot even dream of under the American system. Supporters of this plan see an opportunity to right historical wrongs and give Puerto Rico the full political representation it deserves, without sacrificing its Hispanic identity.
Of course, there are those who see it as a nostalgic and unrealistic idea, something impossible to implement. But, one way or another, the movement managed to get the issue onto the UN decolonisation agenda. They insist: Puerto Rico has always been part of the Hispanic family, both legally and spiritually.
A stage that concentrates all tensions
Now, the halftime show must shoulder extra significant weight. When Bad Bunny takes the stage at Levi's Stadium, many people will see more than a show. They will see a symbol of that Puerto Rican identity crisis, a wound that is still raw. The 2026 Super Bowl will be the stage where big issues intersect: the rise of Hispanic culture, the immigration debate and Puerto Rico's political situation.
For many, the moment will provide a moment to think about issues of representation and belonging that are rarely discussed openly. And the simple gesture of singing in Spanish, in front of millions of people, is not just a celebration of an artist's success. It is a declaration: language is a territory that cannot be deported or silenced, regardless of borders or laws.
'Hypocrites': GOP lambasted as video shows halftime show played at Trump Super Bowl party
Alexander Willis
February 9, 2026
RAW STORY
Super Bowl LX - Half-Time Show - New England Patriots v Seattle Seahawks - Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California, United States - February 8, 2026 Bad Bunny performs during the halftime show REUTERS/Carlos Barria TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Despite the White House insisting that President Donald Trump would “much prefer” to watch the “All American” alternative Super Bowl halftime show, video suggests that the official performance by Puerto Rican artist and Trump critic Bad Bunny was aired “on the big screens” at Trump’s private watch party in Florida on Sunday.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, has been the target of MAGA scorn since being announced as the headliner for Super Bowl LX’s halftime show.
In protest, the conservative advocacy organization Turning Point USA revealed that it would be airing its own alternative half-time show starring artist and Trump ally Kid Rock, a performance that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters last week that Trump would “much prefer” to watch over the official show.
And yet, video has emerged that appears to show Trump, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and other attendees at the president's private Super Bowl watch party watching Bad Bunny’s performance on the big screens, sparking widespread ridicule, Pro Football & Sports Network reported.
“Footage from inside Trump’s golf club Super Bowl party reveals the Bad Bunny half-time show played on the big screens,” wrote X user “Patriot Takes,” a popular political commentary account with more than 460,000 followers. “What a bunch of hypocrites.”
Trump apparently took time away from watching the Super Bowl to rage on social media about Bad Bunny’s halftime show performance, calling it “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst, ever!”
Meanwhile, the “All American” halftime show alternative with Kid Rock was widely mocked for both its content and technical difficulties, being unable to be streamed on the popular social media platform X — owned by Trump ally Elon Musk — due to “licensing restrictions.”“Not even Trump wanted to watch the lip sync extravaganza from [Turning Point USA],” wrote journalist Jeff Benjamin in a social media post on X Monday.
'Existential crisis' hits MAGA as Super Bowl
show leaves Trump scrambling: analysis
Ewan Gleadow
February 9, 2026
RAW STORY
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Kid Rock after signing an executive order related to the U.S. live entertainment ticketing industry in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis
President Donald Trump's reaction to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show has left MAGA facing an uncomfortable truth about its own movement, a political analyst claimed.
While Bad Bunny drew a staggering 113 million viewers, those in the MAGA sphere sought entertainment elsewhere. Kid Rock performed at Turning Point USA, providing an alternative to the Grammy Award-winning artist performing during the Super Bowl break.
The performance from Bad Bunny is enough for MAGA members to reconsider what the public wants — and it was made worse by Trump's rambling response to the ceremony, according to Christopher Bucktin, writing in The Mirror.
He suggested the show had been a stress test MAGA may not survive.
He wrote, "For most viewers, Bad Bunny’s show was exactly what the Super Bowl has long claimed to celebrate — scale, swagger and culture. For MAGA, it was an existential crisis. Spanish lyrics. Brown bodies. Dancing that didn’t look like it came from an Arkansas country bar in 1987. Clearly, civilization was under threat."
Trump's response to Bad Bunny's show fueled the MAGA fire further, Bucktin suggested. He added, "It was less cultural critique than an unhinged aging uncle shouting at the television — except the television was winning.
"What made the outburst even more revealing was Trump’s apparent failure to grasp a basic fact: Bad Bunny is from Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is American. Its people are American citizens. The president of the United States attacking an American artist as foreign is not irony; it is Trumpism in its purest form. If it doesn’t look or sound like his America, it doesn’t count.
"MAGA’s solution, as ever, was to retreat into a parallel reality. Rather than engage with the halftime show the rest of the world was watching, Trump-aligned groups promoted an “alternative” performance headlined by Kid Rock — marketed as a wholesome, values-driven counterweight to the NFL’s spectacle."
Bucktin also noted Trump had abandoned the MAGA showcase Kid Rock had put on and instead voiced his distaste for the Super Bowl halftime show.
He wrote, "Even Trump, a man famous for inflating crowd sizes, didn’t bother watching. Instead, he tuned in to Bad Bunny like everyone else, before angrily informing the world that he hated every second of it. And then came the awkward part MAGA would rather forget."
Mockery abounds as 'All-American Halftime Show' faces technical difficulties
Robert Davis
February 8, 2026
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during his rally in Saginaw, Michigan, U.S., October 3, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Mockery abounded on Sunday night after a conservative advocacy organization announced its "All-American Halftime Show" was facing technical difficulties ahead of airtime.
Turning Point USA, the group founded by the late activist Charlie Kirk, announced that "licensing restrictions" were preventing its halftime show featuring Kid Rock from appearing on X, which is owned by President Donald Trump's ally Elon Musk. The show was organized in response to the Super Bowl LX halftime show featuring Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican artist who will perform entirely in Spanish.
"Due to licensing restrictions, we are unable to stream The All-American Halftime Show on X," the organization posted on X. "Head on over to our YouTube channel tonight around 8PM ET to watch the full show."
Political analysts and observers didn't hold back in their reactions.
"No one is watching that s---," political commentator Tony Tony Posnanski posted on X.
"Hahaha," Rep. Malcom Kenyatta, a Democratic state representative in Pennsylvania, posted on X.
"OH GOD IT'S PERFECT," writer Alheli Picazo posted on X.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA," political analyst Matt Corridoni posted on X.
'All American': Everything we know about MAGA's protest Super Bowl Halftime Show
MAGA is preparing to hold the All-American Halftime Show in protest of the NFL’s 2026 Super Bowl music acts. Prepare to be underwhelmed.
The NFL's Super Bowl LX takes place this weekend, with multi-Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny headlining the US' most-watched television event, which attracts more than 100 million viewers every year.
The Halftime Show is a huge and coveted gig, which has a long history of reflecting and influencing cultural trends.
Last year, Kendrick Lamar’s headlining performance shattered all records with 133.5 million viewers tuning in. Bad Bunny is expected to match if not surpass that record, but no thanks to the MAGA crowd.
Diversity-averse rightwing media has been up in arms over the choice of headliner for months now, with many saying that Bad Bunny’s music is "un-American" and “woke”, handily forgetting for the sake of barely concealed racism that the singer is an American citizen, since Puerto Rico is part of the US.
Funny how no one was complaining when Canadian singer Shania Twain or the UK’s The Rolling Stones were headlining...
Bad Bunny was recently described by Donald Trump as a “terrible choice” for the Super Bowl headline slot, with one of his advisors even confirming that ICE would be present at the “shameful” concert.
Despite criticism and plenty of complaining about American football’s biggest night being hijacked by a “left-wing conspiracy”, the NFL did not drop(kick) Bad Bunny. The organisation even appeared to double down in defying Trump, as they added rock band Green Day, who are vocal Trump critics, to the Super Bowl line-up.
There was renewed MAGA outrage when the Puerto Rican superstar blasted the Trump administration and ICE while accepting the top award at this year’s Grammys, saying: “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out”, adding, “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”
The MAGA response? Counterprogramming.
Turning Point USA – the conservative group founded by Charlie Kirk and now helmed by his widow Erika Kirk - has organised an alternative, competing halftime show titled the “All American Halftime Show”.
It will celebrate “American faith, family, and freedom,” the organization said.
So, who’s on the powerhouse and not-at-all-underwhelming line-up?
Trump supporter Kid Rock is headlining, and he will be joined by country singers Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, Gabby Barrett.
It’s a veritable Who’s WHO?
“We’re approaching this show like David and Goliath,” Kid Rock said in a statement issued through Turning Point USA. “Competing with the pro football machine and a global pop superstar is almost impossible…or is it?”
The singer, who hasn’t had a hit song since the dire Lynyrd Skynyrd-pilfering ‘All Summer Long’ in 2008, added: “He’s said he’s having a dance party, wearing a dress, and singing in Spanish? Cool. We plan to play great songs for folks who love America.”
Best of luck with that, as the Goliath he mentions dethroned Taylor Swift to become Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2025 and made history last weekend as the first Spanish-language artist to win the Grammy’s Album of the Year with 'DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS'.
The All-American Halftime Show is scheduled to take place the same night as the 2026 Super Bowl – Sunday 8 February – at a location that is still unknown. It will broadcast across four conservative networks: DailyWire+, TBN, Charge!, and Real America’s Voice. It will also stream on Turning Point USA’s social media channels.
We’re betting that Bad Bunny won't lose sleep over it – especially since those supposed All-American values Turning Point USA are trumpeting apparently don’t concern themselves with Kid Rock’s unsavoury lyrics.
Indeed, there has been fresh scrutiny online over Mr. Rock’s song ‘Cool, Daddy Cool’ in the lead up to the protest show, with the song’s lyrics featuring the lines: “Young ladies, young ladies / I like 'em underage / See, some say that's statutory / But I say it's mandatory.”
Maybe that’s what “American faith, family, and freedom” sounds like.
The NFL's Super Bowl LX will take place on Sunday 8 February. The NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier recently said at a security briefing that despite previous comments made by the Trump administration, ICE officers will not be among the federal agencies present at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Trump ally blasts Republican's $3M Super Bowl 'gimmick' as massive waste of money
Erik De La Garza
February 6, 2026
FILE PHOTO: Feb 5, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; A NFL shield logo at the NFL Honors Red Carpet before Super Bowl LX at Palace of Fine Arts. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images/File Photo
A Republican strategist dismissed Republican efforts to politicize Sunday’s Super Bowl as a waste of money, ripping a $3 million ad as "a gimmick."
The moment unfolded on Friday on CNN’s “The Lead” when host Jake Tapper highlighted a $3 million Super Bowl ad buy from Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Perry Johnson. The ad urges viewers to skip the halftime show because it features international superstar Bad Bunny as the performer.
“I don't think it's money well spent,” Lanza, a former senior advisor to President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, said. “You know how hard resources should be spent on political campaigns. That's a gimmick.”
Lanza argued the strategy may generate attention but won’t deliver real value.
“He'll get a lot of support. I don't think he'll be able to make the money back,” he said. “But at the end of the day, people just want to watch football, and they want to be entertained. Whether it's Bad Bunny.”
The GOP strategist pushed back on the effort to turn the halftime show into a culture war.
“I just want politics out of my football,” Lanza said Friday. “I just want to enjoy football. I want to enjoy the halftime show.”
Lanza said during the interview that “he’ll be watching Bad Bunny” when the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots square off for Super Bowl LX.
