The President of the United States, Donald Trump, lashed out against the performance by Bad Bunny during the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show, calling it “absolutely terrible” and a “slap in the face to our country.”
In a fiery post on his Truth Social network, the leader launched an attack that combined criticism of the Spanish language, moral rebukes regarding the content of the show, and an exaltation of his vision of American identity.
The performance by the Puerto Rican artist, the first entirely in Spanish on the most-watched stage of American television, was interpreted by the leader as an offense to the values of the nation.
More than a musical critique, its message was an ideological reaction to a performance that, for the first time, placed Latin culture at the heart of the country's biggest television event.
"The Super Bowl halftime show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst in history! It makes no sense, it is an affront to the greatness of the United States and does not represent our standards of success, creativity, or excellence", wrote Trump.
"Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for the little kids watching it from all over the United States and the world. This 'show' is an insult to our country, which sets new standards and records every day, including the best stock market and the best retirement plans in history!" he added, launching a direct attack on the language used.
In closing his message, he returned to familiar attacks: the media, which he accused of being out of touch with reality, and the NFL, an organization he criticized for matters unrelated to the show. It all culminated in his quintessential political slogan, which reinterprets criticism as part of his crusade to restore a sense of national "greatness."
"There is nothing inspiring about this disastrous halftime show; it will receive excellent reviews from the fake media, because they have no idea what is happening in the real world. And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new kickoff rule," he added
LET'S MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!, he concluded in his usual explosive capital letters.
The Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, warned on X that he and his family were watching the "American" halftime show, noting that while Bad Bunny captured global attention and took center stage during the break of Super Bowl LX, a segment of the American conservative ecosystem was rehearsing its own alternative.
It was through a parallel internet broadcast: the All-American Halftime Show, organized by Turning Point USA, the association founded in 2012 by MAGA activist Charlie Kirk, who passed away in September.
The concert, designed as an explicit counter-programming to the official show, began almost simultaneously with Bad Bunny's performance, lasted twice as long, and peaked at just over six million simultaneous viewers on YouTube.
Contrary to Pete Hegseth was the viewpoint of California Governor, Gavin Newsom, who thanked Bad Bunny for "raising his voice at the Super Bowl."
"Thank you @sambenito for taking the stage in California and raising your voice at the #SuperBowlLX. A beautiful moment! Together, we are America", he wrote on X.
A show with a Latino and political message
Bad Bunny made history by performing in the first Super Bowl show with a repertoire entirely in Spanish.
Artists such as Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, Pedro Pascal, Karol G, and Young Miko accompanied him.
The setting evoked a Caribbean postcard: a Puerto Rican house, palm trees, sugar cane fields, and direct references to life on the island.
Among the most talked-about moments was the simulation of a wedding between a migrant and an American, and the appearance of a Latino child who symbolically received a Grammy award.
In the final segment, Bad Bunny uttered the only words in English throughout the entire show: “God bless America”.
Then he named, one by one, the countries of Latin America as their flags were raised. On the ball he held, it read: “Together, we are America.”
It was not just a musical performance: it was an identity and continental statement, broadcast during prime time to tens of millions of people.
A prior tension
Trump's rejection was not spontaneous. Weeks earlier, conservative organizations like Turning Point USA had called for a boycott of the event, under the slogan "say no to woke."
They promoted an "alternative halftime" with Kid Rock and other musicians aligned with their ideologies. Trump himself had criticized the selection of the Puerto Rican as "a terrible decision" by the NFL and chose not to attend the game, though he ended up watching the show.
In parallel, Bad Bunny had just received the Grammy for Album of the Year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, where he delivered a speech that included a direct message: “Out with ICE.”
The artist, a U.S. citizen and outspoken critic of Trumpism, has previously stated that he avoided bringing his tour to the U.S. during the Republican administration to protect his undocumented followers.
Trump's response and Bad Bunny's proposal represent two conflicting visions of what America means and who can occupy the symbolic center of national culture.
While the president condemns the use of Spanish and the aesthetics of the show as an affront, millions of viewers saw in it a legitimate claim to the diversity that characterizes a significant part of the country.
Filed under: