--- title: Trump Lashes Out at Bad Bunny's Historic Super Bowl Set description: Trump labeled it “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst ever.” canonical: https://time.com/7373048/trump-bad-bunny-super-bowl-performance-criticism/ author: Tiago Ventura article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-02-09T13:53:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:05.289Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Lashes Out at Bad Bunny's Historic Super Bowl Set og:description: Trump labeled it “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst ever.” og:url: https://time.com/7373048/trump-bad-bunny-super-bowl-performance-criticism/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18b6d0a4ddf5d246/6998ce55e2d64b0d3fc602ab/GettyImages-2259686779.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5397 og:image:height: 3036 og:image:alt: President Trump Spends Weekend At His Mar-a-Lago Resort In Florida og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Lashes Out at Bad Bunny's Historic Super Bowl Set twitter:description: Trump labeled it “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst ever.” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18b6d0a4ddf5d246/6998ce55e2d64b0d3fc602ab/GettyImages-2259686779.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Lashes Out at Bad Bunny's Historic Super Bowl Performance: 'One of the Worst Ever' > Sponsored content. 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Trump labeled it “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst ever.”_  by [Tiago Ventura](https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/)  ## Tiago Ventura Feb 9, 2026 1:53 PM UTC  President Donald Trump gaggles with reporters while aboard Air Force One on Feb. 6, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida. President Donald Trump gaggles with reporters while aboard Air Force One on Feb. 6, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida. Samuel Corum—Getty Images  by [Tiago Ventura](https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/)  ## Tiago Ventura Feb 9, 2026 1:53 PM UTC President Donald Trump criticized [Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime](https://time.com/7373018/bad-bunny-super-bowl-halftime-show-analysis/) performance, labeling it “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst ever.” It’s “an affront to the greatness of America” and a “slap in the face to our country,” Trump [claimed](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116038200403048483) via Truth Social. Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny—born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio—made history at the Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, Calif., delivering the first all-Spanish-language halftime set (save for a song performed in English by guest star Lady Gaga). In reference to the Spanish-language focus, Trump claimed “nobody understands a word this guy is saying.” (A [study](https://cervantesobservatorio.fas.harvard.edu/en/about/spanish-in-united-states) in 2023 found that almost 500 million people worldwide speak Spanish as their mother tongue.)  Bad Bunny performs at the Super Bowl on Feb. 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif. Kevin Sabitus—Getty Images Trump previously criticized the “ridiculous” decision to have Bad Bunny headline the Super Bowl, claiming hehad “[never heard](https://youtu.be/VFUyM6auMns?t=416)” of the Puerto Rican musician. The President was among a group of conservatives who instead championed Turning Point USA’s alternative to the Super Bowl halftime show. The “All American Halftime Show” featured performances from artists such as Kid Rock, a long-time Trump supporter. Last week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, when asked about Trump’s viewing plans, [said](https://www.facebook.com/reel/1943422509616197) she thought the President “would much prefer a Kid Rock performance over Bad Bunny.” At the Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, Bad Bunny used his acceptance speeches to criticize how the Trump Administration is carrying out its immigration crackdown. Calling out[ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)](https://www.instagram.com/p/DUPbfrPjPEF/?hl=en), the musician said: “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out!” “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans,” he said. “I know it’s tough to know not to hate on these days, and I was thinking, sometimes we get contaminados \[contaminated\]—I don’t know how to say that in English. The hate gets more powerful with more hate.” Although Bad Bunny didn’t directly mention the Trump Administration in his performance on Sunday, he used his time on the field to showcase a message of unity.  Bad Bunny performs in the Apple Music Halftime Show during the NFL Super Bowl 60 at Levi's Stadium on Feb. 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif. Kevin Sabitus—Getty Images At the conclusion of his set, he held a football bearing the message: “Together, we are America.” A screen in the background displayed the words “the only thing more powerful than hate is love.” Bad Bunny shouted out “God Bless America” and named multiple countries and territories, including Puerto Rico, while people behind him carried flags. Several prominent figures praised the performance, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose response stood in stark contrast to that of Trump. “America, the beautiful. Thank you, Bad Bunny,” said [Newsom](https://x.com/GavinNewsom/status/2020672849741336789). His office also championed the set, [calling](https://x.com/GovPressOffice/status/2020674197119205874) it “beautiful.” Ahead of the performance, Newsom [declared](https://x.com/GovPressOffice/status/2020226548985655513) Super Bowl Sunday “Bad Bunny Day” in California. He made the announcement via a post that appeared to mock Trump’s social media style. ## Transcript Yo siempre todo el mundo se sienta bien y todo el mundo se sienta aceptado y todo el mundo se sienta feliz libre. ASI es Como me siento yo en la tarima Y si me siento yo cuando estoy haciendo musica. Entonces ha sido también se sienten mi fanatico la gente qué me escucha la gente disfruta de mi musica es Como yo. Yo voy a hablar por esto. Y voy a lucha por esto Y voy a no es una accion. Qué se hace de me de querer cell. Este con la gente de Choiseul. Ayudar a alguien darle la mano a alguien simplemente aportar todo el mundo se sienta mejor en un mundo mejor. Si yo no sé si fuera famoso y tuviera todavia trabajando en el supermercado seria igual. Siempre puede haber a alguien Q yo puedo defender o q puedo ayudar o q o q puedo mejorar su dia lo voy a hacer. No lo tengo Como esto esta tan natural en mi no es Como lo tengo Como esta. Ahi esta en la nivel de todos Los dias. Es Como me hace porque soy de ahi y asi somos también Puerto Rico. Tuve q q y. O por lo menos hacer el ejemplo Q ve también de mi familia y mi papa siempre ayudar a alguien siempre estaba ayudando a alguien de la comunidad. Entonces yo creo q q creaky bajo esa ambiente y con ese y con esa attitude de siempre darle algo a la gente. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7373048/trump-bad-bunny-super-bowl-performance-criticism/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7373048/trump-bad-bunny-super-bowl-performance-criticism/"},"headline":"Trump Lashes Out at Bad Bunny's Historic Super Bowl Performance: 'One of the Worst Ever'","datePublished":"2026-02-09T13:53:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:43:05.289Z","description":"Trump labeled it “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst ever.”","url":"https://time.com/7373048/trump-bad-bunny-super-bowl-performance-criticism/","keywords":["Donald Trump","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18b6d0a4ddf5d246/6998ce55e2d64b0d3fc602ab/GettyImages-2259686779.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tiago Ventura","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18b6d0a4ddf5d246/6998ce55e2d64b0d3fc602ab/GettyImages-2259686779.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Trump Spends Weekend At His Mar-a-Lago Resort In Florida","caption":"President Trump Spends Weekend At His Mar-a-Lago Resort In Florida","creditText":"Samuel Corum—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7373048/trump-bad-bunny-super-bowl-performance-criticism/","name":"Trump Lashes Out at Bad Bunny's Historic Super Bowl Performance: 'One of the Worst Ever'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Bad Bunny reflects on what it means to give back to his fans and community","description":"Trump labeled it “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst ever.”","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ybY0Yywk/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-02-09T15:29:44.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ybY0Yywk.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7373048/trump-bad-bunny-super-bowl-performance-criticism/","duration":"PT1M47S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7373048/trump-bad-bunny-super-bowl-performance-criticism/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```