Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny celebrated Latino identity and unity, and triggered fierce reactions from Donald Trump and conservative commentators
BY FRANCESCA RAPISARDA
In a moment that felt bigger than just music and sport, Bad Bunny made history at the Super Bowl LX halftime show on 8 February 2026, delivering a performance that became a cultural touchstone and a flashpoint in U.S. political discourse. The Puerto Rican superstar’s show, nearly entirely in Spanish and steeped in Latin culture, drew reactions ranging from celebration to sharp political critique.
On the field at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, Bad Bunny’s set was a vibrant showcase of Latino music, dance, and pride. He brought out stars like Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, Cardi B, and others, and built a performance rooted in his own heritage and musical style. Songs were predominantly in Spanish, and symbolic imagery, flags of countries across the Americas, joyful choreography, and messages projected on screens, made inclusion and unity central themes.
The show’s final message, written on a football, read: “Together, we are America,” and a large screen displayed: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” Those moments became the lasting, unspoken thesis of the night.
While Bad Bunny largely avoided overt policy statements during the performance, the context in which his show occurred made it virtually impossible to see it as apolitical.
Just days earlier, at the Grammy Awards, he had used his acceptance speech to condemn Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying “ICE out” and reminding audiences that immigrants “are humans and we are Americans.” That moment had already thrust him into the national immigration debate.
And in the run-up to the Super Bowl, conservative voices had openly criticised his selection. Some argued a Spanish-dominant performance was inappropriate for one of the nation’s most-watched television moments, while groups like Turning Point USA even planned a rival “All-American Halftime” show to counter Bad Bunny’s.
U.S. President Donald Trump heavily criticised the performance on his social media platform, calling it “absolutely terrible” and “an affront to the Greatness of America,” complaining that “nobody understands a word this guy is saying.” Trump framed the show as disrespectful and in conflict with what he sees as American cultural values.
Some media called the backlash largely about language and cultural discomfort rather than substantive politics, suggesting the controversy says as much about America’s anxieties over identity as it does about the performance itself.
In the aftermath, Bad Bunny’s halftime show stands less as a conventional political speech and more as a cultural statement, a joyful, unapologetic affirmation of plurality and unity at a time when debates over ICE, immigration enforcement, and national values are raging. Whether celebrated or attacked, the show became a mirror for broader conversations about who gets to represent “America” and in what language, on the world’s stage.
