'Absolutely ridiculous': Trump blasts NFL for choosing Bad Bunny as Super Bowl halftime performer

WASHINGTON, DC: Following the mounting backlash over Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show announcement, Donald Trump has finally weighed in.

The NFL, along with Jay-Z and Roc Nation, revealed that Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny would headline the 2026 halftime show.

However, conservative figures and commentators quickly voiced concerns, not only because Bad Bunny mainly performs in Spanish but also due to his past political statements on US immigration policies. 

Trump reacts to Bad Bunny's upcoming performance at Super Bowl

Trump weighed in with his opinion on Newsmax's 'Greg Kelly Reports'.

The host asked, "The NFL just chose the Bad Bunny Rabbit or whatever his name, this guy who hates ICE, he doesn’t like you… Do you think maybe we should just kind of entertain blowing off the NFL, like a boycott or something along those lines?”

Trump slammed NFL’s choice to have Bad Bunny perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, calling the decision “crazy.”

Trump admitted he was unfamiliar with the 31-year-old artist but criticized the NFL for awarding him the prestigious spot, especially given Bad Bunny’s past criticisms of Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“I never heard of him, I don't know who he is, I don't know why they're doing it, it's like, crazy,” Trump said.

He also accused NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell of shifting the blame onto “some promoter they hired” for the decision.

“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous,” Trump added, before revisiting his longtime grievance that the league’s new kickoff rules are harming the sport.

Trump adviser slams NFL over Bad Bunny’s 2026 Super Bowl show

Trump’s harsh comments about Bad Bunny came after his advisor, Corey Lewandowski, said there would be immigration agents at the Super Bowl. Lewandowski criticized the choice of Bad Bunny, saying, “It’s shameful they picked someone who seems to hate America.”

He also warned that people in the country illegally won’t find a safe place at the Super Bowl or anywhere else. “We will find and deport you,” Lewandowski said.

Although Lewandowski criticized the NFL for choosing Bad Bunny, he made it clear that immigration enforcement would happen at the event no matter what.

“I don't care if it's a concert for Johnny Smith or Bad Bunny or anybody else. We're going to do enforcement everywhere. We are going to make Americans safe,” he said. “That is a directive from the president. If you're in this country illegally, do yourself a favor: Go home."

Bad Bunny addresses his critics over his Super Bowl halftime show in 2026

The rapper Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez, hosted 'Saturday Night Live' this week and used his opening monologue to address his critics.

“You might not know this but I'm doing the Super Bowl halftime show and I'm very happy and I think everyone is happy about it - even Fox News,” Bad Bunny said.

A cleverly edited clip then played, piecing together comments from various Fox anchors and pundits to create the message: “Bad Bunny is my favorite musician and he should be the next president”. He responded, “Thank you. Wow, thank you. But really, I am very excited to be doing the Super Bowl and I know that people all around the world who love my music are also happy.”

The rapper then spoke in Spanish for several seconds before concluding with, “If you didn’t understand what I just said… you have four months to learn!”

In the Spanish segment of his monologue, Bunny took another jab at his critics and expressed gratitude to those who paved the way for him.

“Especially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors,” he said.

“It’s more than a win for myself, it’s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it.”