Donald Trump has revealed he won’t be attending the Super Bowl, and has slammed two of the “terrible” performers lined up for the event.
- READ MORE: Bad Bunny – ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ review: ode to homeland is a new high for the Puerto Rican star
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny will be playing the prestigious half-time show this year for the 60th Super Bowl, in a move that has prompted a sizeable backlash from the MAGA community. Charlie Puth will sing the US national anthem, and Brandi Carlile will perform ‘America the Beautiful’, while Green Day will play the opening ceremony.
Speaking to the New York Post yesterday (January 24), the President – who notably attended last year’s Super Bowl – said he wouldn’t be at Levi’s Stadium on February 8 because “it’s just too far away”.
“I’ve [gotten] great hands [at] the Super Bowl. They like me,” he continued. “I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter.” As well as criticising the distance, Trump also hit out at Bad Bunny and Green Day, who have long been vocal critics of the President. “I’m anti-them,” he said of the musicians.
“I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.”
He’d previously called the move to have Bad Bunny headline “crazy” and claimed he had “never heard of” the rapper, while one of his advisors confirmed that ICE would be present at the “shameful” concert.
Before news of the slot broke, Bad Bunny told fans he would not be touring the US during his ongoing world tour due to fears over ICE agents raiding his concerts, comments that seemed to incense the far-right.
In response, organisation Turning Point USA – which was founded by the late Charlie Kirk – announced plans for an ‘All American Halftime Show’, which will be held at the same time and date as the NFL halftime show, with Sting set to perform.
However, the NFL has held firm and defended the slot, with Commissioner Roger Goodell telling the press that the NFL were firm in their decision and reaffirming that the move was “carefully thought through.”
Jay-Z – who serves as the NFL’s music strategist via his label Roc Nation’s partnership with the league – has backed up Bad Bunny twice, too. He called the rapper “truly inspiring” and added that his team felt “honoured to have him on the world’s biggest stage”. More recently, he shared that he wasn’t convinced that the backlash was authentic, saying: “They love him. Don’t let them fool you”.
Bad Bunny, meanwhile, has promised that “the world will dance” during his half-time show in a defiant new ad.
Elsewhere, his album ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ placed Number Five on NME’s list of the Best Albums Of 2025, and was described as a record where “the Puerto Rican superstar makes every shot count.”
“It’s a breathtaking extravaganza in every way: from his joyful marshalling of salsa, bomba, plena, reggaeton and myriad other Latin styles and genres, to the scale of the storytelling,” the entry read.
Likewise, his single ‘Baile Inolvidable’ also reached the Number 10 slot on our round-up of the Best Songs of 2025, and was celebrated as “one of his most magnificent torch songs”.
