Obama backs Bad Bunny as 'natural-born US citizen' amid Super Bowl LX headliner

WASHINGTON, DC: Former President Barack Obama’s foundation posted a message ahead of the Super Bowl LV halftime show that appeared to poke fun at conservative critics while celebrating the event’s headliner, Bad Bunny.

The post highlighted the Puerto Rican rapper’s music and referenced the longstanding and unfounded conspiracy questioning Obama’s citizenship. It drew attention amid an ongoing feud over the rapper’s comments criticizing the Trump administration for its immigration policies.

Obama’s message on citizenship and the reference to Bad Bunny

The post included a compilation of the rapper’s songs that Barack Obama had previously featured on his annual lists of favorite music. The post carried a caption stating, “From one natural-born US citizen to another, have a great Benito Bowl!”

The video also showed Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama dancing along to Bad Bunny’s songs. The message from the Obama Foundation drew on the fact that both Obama and Bad Bunny are US citizens.

Biden also took to X to congratulate the Seattle Seahawks, praising the team’s defense by writing, "Congratulations to the Super Bowl champion @Seahawks! This defense was special. MVP Kenneth Walker was dominant. And Sam Darnold gave us one of the best comeback stories in a long time. Enjoy the celebration."

Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, was born in Puerto Rico in 1994 and is widely recognized as an American artist. President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned Obama’s citizenship before and after his presidency, promoting conspiracy theories that he was born abroad and that his birth certificate was fraudulent.

In response, the Hawaii State Health Department released a copy of Obama’s original birth certificate in April 2011. A 2017 The New York Times article reported that an unnamed US senator “listened as the president revived his doubts about Mr Obama’s birth certificate.”

The source added that Trump “has had a hard time letting go of his claim that Mr Obama was not born in the United States.”

Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime pick sparks backlash

The timing of the foundation’s message was notable, as the choice of Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl LX halftime performer became a flashpoint among certain critics, particularly those aligned with the conservative political movement.

In an October episode last year of 'Tomi Lahren Is Fearless', Tomi Lahren claimed that the rapper “is not an American artist,” only to be corrected by guest Krystal Ball, who reminded her that Puerto Rico is “part of America, dear.”

The inclusion of Spanish-language music in Bad Bunny’s performance drew divided reactions from audiences. While many were excited and tuned in specifically for the halftime show, others said they would avoid watching because the music was not in English.

This week, conservative group Turning Point USA also announced that Kid Rock would headline an alternative halftime event, the 'All American Halftime Show', scheduled to take place simultaneously with the official NFL halftime program on Sunday evening.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also criticized the NFL, saying, “We’ll win, and God will bless us, and we’ll stand and be proud of ourselves at the end of the day, and they won’t be able to sleep at night.”