Trump says he has ‘never heard’ of Bad Bunny ahead of Super Bowl halftime show

Donald Trump criticized NFL’s decision to pick the Puerto Rican superstar to headline Super Bowl LX, while Bad Bunny fired back with humor on live TV.

Donald Trump has shared his strong opinions about the NFL choosing Bad Bunny to headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show.

Donald Trump slams NFL for picking Bad Bunny to headline Super Bowl halftime show(AFP)

Speaking on Newsmax’s Greg Kelly Reports on October 7, Trump said he had never heard of the singer and called the NFL’s choice “absolutely ridiculous.”

“I never heard of him. I don’t know who he is,” Trump told host Greg Kelly. “I don’t know why they’re doing it, it’s crazy, and then they blame it on some promoter that they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”

Kelly asked Trump whether football fans should “blow off the NFL” because Bad Bunny “does not seem like a unifying entertainer, and a lot of folks don’t even know who he is.” Trump agreed with the sentiment.

Cultural backlash and immigration tensions

As per People, Bad Bunny, real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is a Puerto Rican performer who mostly sings in Spanish. Puerto Ricans have been US citizens since 1917, but his selection has sparked online backlash, mostly focused on his language and background.

The 31-year-old artist had previously decided not to bring his record-breaking Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour to the US He explained the reasons in a September cover story with i-D magazine, citing immigration crackdowns under Trump’s presidency.

“There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate,” he said. “But there was the issue of — like, f—ing ICE could be outside [my concert], and it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”

Bad Bunny fires back on SNL

Bad Bunny responded to critics during his October 4 hosting of Saturday Night Live. He joked that fans have “four months to learn” Spanish before his halftime performance.

After the September 28 announcement, he posted on X (formerly Twitter): “I’ve been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States… for my people, my culture, and our history.”

Homeland Security’s warning

Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told The Benny Show on October 4 that ICE agents will “be all over” Super Bowl LX, which takes place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

“We are going to enforce the law,” Noem said. “People should not be coming to the Super Bowl unless they’re law-abiding Americans who love this country.”

FAQs:

Q1. Who did Donald Trump criticize for the Super Bowl halftime show?

Donald Trump criticized the NFL for choosing Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny to headline Super Bowl LX.

Q2. What did Trump say about Bad Bunny?

Trump said he had “never heard of” Bad Bunny and called the NFL’s decision “absolutely ridiculous” during a Newsmax interview.

Q3. How did Bad Bunny respond to critics?

Bad Bunny joked on Saturday Night Live that viewers have “four months to learn” Spanish before his Super Bowl performance.