Last year, Donald Trump made history as the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. He watched the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans.
This year, Trump is skipping the big game in San Francisco. He took aim at the NFL’s choice of performers, telling the New York Post: “I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.”
The halftime show will feature Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican singer, and Green Day, the rock band. Both have openly opposed Trump and his MAGA agenda in the past.
Trump explained why he won’t attend. “It’s just too far away. I would (have gone otherwise). I’ve gotten great hands for the Super Bowl; they like me. I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter.”
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Bad Bunny, real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has a huge Spanish-language fanbase. He had previously avoided performing in the United States because he feared ICE could raid his shows. He made an exception for the Super Bowl. “What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,”
Bad Bunny said when announced as the halftime act. “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history.”
Some conservatives reacted with anger. Robby Starbuck wrote on X: “This is not a pick designed to unite football fans or let people just enjoy the show. It was a pick designed to divide fans, and no doubt Bad Bunny will find some way to push a woke message.”
He added: “Are NFL owners in on this idiocy or are they just culturally that disconnected from reality and how Roger uses the NFL to push left-wing social issues? Is it that hard to pick a unifying music act who doesn’t want to peddle woke propaganda? Does this guy really scream American football to anyone? Be for real with me. No one thinks he does. This isn’t about music, it’s about putting a guy on stage who hates Trump and MAGA.”
Radio host Dan O’Donnell also slammed Bad Bunny: “Bad Bunny said two weeks ago he won’t perform in the US because he’s scared ICE agents would deport his fans. Turns out his business sense far outweighs his moral convictions.”
Green Day has also targeted Trump and his supporters. At Coachella last April, the band changed the lyrics of “American Idiot” from “I’m not part of a redneck agenda” to “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda.”
Alongside last year’s Super Bowl, Trump has attended the men’s US Open final, the Ryder Cup, a Yankees game, NASCAR’s Daytona 500, UFC events, and the college football final in Miami.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
