Donald Trump hit out at Bad Bunny during the Super Bowl halftime show, branding it a “slap in the face” for America.
The Puerto Rican superstar became the first Latin male artist and act performing primarily in Spanish ever to take the prestigious headline slot, having previously delivered a guest appearance during Jennifer Lopez’s halftime show in 2020.
In a set that was a celebration of a variety of Latin music styles, he performed with dozens of dancers, while moving through a complex sequence of staged setpieces, from swirling salsa ballrooms to perilous telephone pylons. Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Jessica Alba and Karol G were all spotted among the dancers, while Bad Bunny appeared to deliver one of the three Grammys he won last week to a young boy.
Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance to deliver a Latin version of her Bruno Mars collaboration ‘Die With A Smile’, and she was joined by Bad Bunny’s backing band Los Pleneros de la Cresta. Ricky Martin, meanwhile, was on hand to introduce ‘El apagón’ with an excerpt of ‘LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii’.
Reacting to the show, Trump took to his Truth Social account writing: “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.”
Donald Trump reacts to Bad Bunny’s #SuperBowl halftime show. pic.twitter.com/hATjRYE9wF
— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 9, 2026
He added: “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. 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!”
Trump concluded: “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 – And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new Kickoff Rule. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Bad Bunny’s show has been shrouded in controversy ever since it was first announced in September, with the rapper coming under personal attack from the MAGA movement. Trump called the decision to have him headline “crazy”, claiming that he had “never heard” of him.
One of the President’s advisers confirmed that ICE would also be present at the performance. Bad Bunny had previously announced that he would not be touring the US during his current world tour due to fears over ICE agents raiding the concerts.
Last week (February 1), he picked up Album of the Year at the Grammys and delivered a fiery speech directed at ICE. “We are not savage, we are not animals, we are not aliens, we are humans and we are Americans,” he said.
“Also, I want to say to people, I know it’s tough to know not to hate these days, and I was thinking, sometimes we get [contaminated]. The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing more powerful than hate is love. So, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them, we love our people, we love our family. That’s the way to do it. We love.”
He had promised that “the world will dance” during his halftime show, while NFL commissioner Roger Goodell defended his selection as being “carefully thought through”.
Turning Point USA – which was founded by the late Charlie Kirk – held an ‘All American Halftime Show’ at the same time as Bad Bunny’s performance, with Kid Rock headlining.
Earlier in the day, California governor Gavin Newsom declared Sunday to be ‘Bad Bunny Day’ in the state, and shortly after his set concluded, Newsom posted: “America, the beautiful. THANK YOU, BAD BUNNY.”
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