Add President Donald Trump to the list of people who are upset about the NFL selecting one of the most popular singers on the planet to perform at halftime of this February’s Super Bowl.
As you may have heard, the league announced last week that Bad Bunny would take to this famous stage in a few months.
The guy has 50 million Instagram followers and an array of top hits, so why not, right?
Seems like an obvious choice for the role.
One would assume as much, right?
Except… Bad Bunny mostly raps in Spanish! And he’s been critical of ICE raids in the United States! And he’s barely even from America, having been born in Puerto Rico!
For these totally legitimate reasons, a bunch if (Republican) critics have come out and lambasted the NFL’s decision.
We’ve even heard there will be ICE agents at the Super Bowl — because illegal immigrants will somehow pour on to the field when Bad Bunny performs?
It’s unclear. And very racist.
Speaking to Newsmax’s Greg Kelly late Monday night, Trump said he had “never heard of” Bad Bunny, adding:
“I don’t know who he is, I don’t know why they’re doing it — it’s, like, crazy. They blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
The President then pivoted to an even more pressing topic, going on to criticize the league’s brand new kickoff rule, which he has long derided, saying it “looks ridiculous.”
(For the record, this “Dynamic” kickoff is meant to increase the frequency of returns, as players on the kicking team cannot move until the ball hits the ground or a player in the “landing zone,” defined as the area between the goal line and the 20-yard line.)
For his part, Bad Bunny has appeared unfazed by the backlash.
He mocked his critics in a monologue on Saturday Night Live over the weekend, sending a message in Spanish and then adding:
“If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
The rapper and singer — who endorsed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 presidential election and is one of the most streamed artists in the world — has excluded the U.S. from his upcoming world tour out of concern that immigration authorities might target his performances.
Puerto Rico is an American territory, for whatever it’s worth, and Bad Bunny is an American citizen.