CNN – President Donald Trump – who skipped the Super Bowl and instead attended a watch party in Florida – denounced Bad Bunny’s halftime performance as “a slap in the face” and said “nobody understands a word” the Puerto Rican rapper was saying.
“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 said in a post on Truth Social. “This ‘Show’ is just a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day.”
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, rocked the stage Sunday night with many of his biggest hits, powerful imagery and theatrical nods to songs and symbols from throughout his Spanish-language catalog. Several huge stars, including Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, made appearances.
During the performance, Bad Bunny delivered a unifying message, expanding the meaning of “God bless America” to include all nations of the Americas – from Chile to Canada.
“God bless America, whether it’s Chile, Argentina,” Bad Bunny said as he proceeded to list more than 20 nations in North and South America, and displayed the flags of many of them. He stood beside the US flag and the flag of Puerto Rico, a US territory.
He also displayed a message written on a football that read: “Together we are America.”
The president criticized both the language and choreography of the performance. “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying,” Trump wrote in his Truth Social, adding that the dancing was “disgusting,” particularly for young children watching across the US and around the world.
Yet the US has one of the highest numbers of Spanish speakers of any nation in the world. About 41.8 million people in the country speak Spanish at home – roughly 13.5% of the population – according to Census Bureau data from 2019. Some studies estimate the number of US Spanish speakers could be closer to 48.6 million, as of 2015, if non-Hispanic people and undocumented people are included, according to a report from Instituto Cervantes.
Trump’s criticism is hardly surprising. He previously said Bad Bunny, was a “terrible choice” for the halftime show.
One of the most-streamed artists in the world, Bad Bunny performed just a week after making Grammys history, winning album of the year for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos),” the first Spanish-language album to claim the Recording Academy’s top prize.
During the ceremony, he delivered a pointed political message in protest of recent actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown nationwide.
Accepting the award for best música urbana album, Bad Bunny began his speech: “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out!”
“We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens,” he added. “We are humans and we are Americans.”
Controversy surrounded Bad Bunny’s halftime performance since his selection was announced in September.
Conservative circles had opposed his appearance on sports’ biggest stage and the conservative non-profit group Turning Point USA offered a counter-programming show with Kid Rock and other artists friendly with the Trump administration.
“The All-American Halftime Show” was filled with the imagery of country music, guitars and the group’s founder, the late Charlie Kirk.
The Bad Bunny halftime performance made plenty of other people happy – from fans in Santa Clara, California, to watch parties in Puerto Rico and across the country – where social media buzzed about the artistry on display and the slew of stars who made cameos during the performance.
This story has been updated with additional information.