President Donald Trump publicly criticized Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show shortly after it aired on Sunday night, taking to Truth Social to condemn the performance in a lengthy post.
Bad Bunny closed his halftime set with the message, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” but Trump appeared unmoved by the sentiment. The president, who had previously voiced opposition to the NFL’s decision to select the Puerto Rican star as this year’s headliner, shared his reaction online within minutes of the performance ending.
On Truth Social, Trump described the halftime show as “absolutely terrible,” “disgusting,” and “a slap in the face to our country.”
“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 wrote. “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.”
He continued, “This “Show” is just a “slap in the face” to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day — including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History! There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD.”
Trump concluded his post by also addressing NFL rules, adding, “And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new Kickoff Rule. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The reaction came despite prior comments from the White House suggesting Trump might not watch Bad Bunny’s halftime performance. Last week, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, “I think the president would much prefer a Kid Rock performance over Bad Bunny. I must say that.” She was referencing an alternative halftime event hosted by Turning Point USA that featured Kid Rock as the headliner.
However, Trump’s near-immediate online response following the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show strongly suggested that he was, in fact, watching Bad Bunny’s performance live rather than the alternative concert.
Ahead of the halftime show, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defended the league’s decision to feature Bad Bunny on the world’s biggest stage.
“This platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talents and to be able to use this moment to do that,” Goodell said. “And I think artists in the past have done that. I think Bad Bunny understands that, and I think he’ll have a great performance.”
Bad Bunny’s halftime show also included celebrity cameos from Lady Gaga and other stars, further fueling conversation around the performance and Trump’s reaction in the hours following the Super Bowl.
Source: TV Insider