For generations, the Super Bowl has represented something uniquely American. It’s a moment when the nation sets aside its differences to celebrate competition, excellence, and shared cultural traditions. The halftime show has served as a showcase for artists who grasp the gravity of performing for over 100 million viewers united in a common experience. This year, during America’s semiquincentennial celebration, that tradition deserved special reverence.
Instead, viewers witnessed what can only be described as a calculated cultural provocation. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had promised that this year’s performer would unite the world “in a really creative and fun way.” What Americans actually got was something else entirely. A performance so narrowly tailored to a niche audience that it left the vast majority of viewers confused, alienated, and increasingly furious as the minutes dragged on.
From Fox News:
The Super Bowl LX halftime show featuring Latin trap artist Bad Bunny was the subject of immense criticism from Americans on Sunday night.
President Donald Trump called it “one of the worst ever.”…
Prominent conservative influencers were among the show’s harshest critics, and even Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice Harmeet Dhillon chimed in…
Other users even tied the show to the nation’s ongoing debate about illegal immigration and deportations at the hands of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Critics Unload on Tone-Deaf Performance
President Trump didn’t mince words. Taking to Truth Social, he called it “one of the worst, EVER” and directly labeled it “a slap in the face to our Country.” He went further, noting that “nobody understands a word this guy is saying” and characterizing the dancing as “disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.” Hard to argue with that assessment.
The president wasn’t alone in his disgust. Conservative voices across social media erupted with criticism. Commentator Jon Root called the all-Spanish performance “100% a political statement.” Nick Adams demanded that “someone needs to tell Bad Bunny he’s in America.” Even Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon weighed in, dismissing the performance entirely. When a DOJ official is dunking on your halftime show, you’ve made some choices.
The decision to perform almost exclusively in Spanish wasn’t some artistic accident. Bad Bunny had previously told “SNL” viewers to “learn Spanish.” He tepidly walked it back at his pre-Super Bowl press conference. But his setlist told the real story. His halftime set delivered exactly the message his critics feared.
The Political Agenda Behind the Music
Here’s where it gets genuinely troubling. The inclusion of “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii”—with Ricky Martin singing lyrics that translate to “I don’t want them to do with you what happened to Hawaii”—was a deliberate political statement. The song frames American statehood as colonization. It compares Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States to some kind of hostile occupation.
This is fringe politics masquerading as entertainment. Only 12% of Puerto Rican voters support independence. Yet Bad Bunny exploited America’s biggest stage to push this radical agenda on an unsuspecting audience. His connections to a record label founded by a former Venezuelan intelligence officer and his endorsement of a Chávez- and Castro-sympathizing gubernatorial candidate tell you everything you need to know about where his loyalties lie.
Even his closing shout of “God Bless America” carried a subtle dig. The Spanish “América” refers to the Americas broadly, not the United States specifically. Clever. And deeply insulting.
The NFL’s Vetting Failure
Bad Bunny deserves criticism. But the NFL deserves accountability. League leadership made a conscious choice to hand America’s most prestigious entertainment platform to an artist with a documented history of anti-American sentiment. This represents a complete failure to do basic homework. Or worse—they knew and didn’t care.
Roger Goodell promised unity and delivered division. The halftime show was, as one analysis noted, “carefully constructed to mainstream two similarly toxic ideas.” First, Puerto Rican separatism. Second, the concept of Latino identity as a permanent nation within a nation, separate from the American mainstream. Neither belongs at the Super Bowl.
American families gathered to watch football. They got a lecture instead. The NFL owes its fans better than this. If the league continues prioritizing international markets over the patriots who built their billion-dollar empire, they can’t act shocked when those fans start tuning out. The Super Bowl halftime show should celebrate America—especially during our 250th birthday year. Not disparage it.
Key Takeaways
- President Trump blasted the halftime show as “one of the worst, EVER” and “a slap in the face” to America.
- Bad Bunny’s performance pushed Puerto Rican independence—a position only 12% of the island’s voters support.
- The artist has ties to a Venezuelan intelligence-linked record label and endorsed a Castro-sympathizing politician.
- The NFL’s vetting failure turned America’s biggest entertainment platform into a vehicle for divisive politics.
