The Super Bowl LX halftime show featuring Latin trap artist Bad Bunny drew widespread criticism from viewers across the United States on Sunday night, igniting debate over the NFL’s entertainment choices and prompting sharp reactions from political leaders, conservative commentators, and fans.

President Donald Trump publicly condemned the performance, calling it among the worst halftime shows in Super Bowl history.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump criticized both the content and presentation of the show.

“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World,” Trump wrote.

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He continued by arguing that the performance clashed with what he described as the country’s current momentum.

“This ‘Show’ is just a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day — including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History! There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD — And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new Kickoff Rule. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

The halftime show quickly became a focal point of criticism among conservative influencers and commentators.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice Harmeet Dhillon also weighed in online, joining others who voiced objections to the performance.

My mother: “who is this Bad Bunny?”

Don’t worry mom, we aren’t watching him.— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@HarmeetKDhillon) February 9, 2026

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One of the most common criticisms centered on the show being performed almost entirely in Spanish.

Some viewers tied the performance to the broader national debate over illegal immigration and deportations carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, interpreting the show as politically charged.

This is an advertisement for closed borders pic.twitter.com/L4wPC45frB

— Raq (@raqisright) February 9, 2026

The production concluded with a message displayed on the Levi Stadium video board reading, “The Only Thing More Powerful Than Hate is Love.”

Bad Bunny closed his performance flanked by foreign flags standing in front of a billboard that says: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” pic.twitter.com/Bvu1UezbBI

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 9, 2026

Some critics interpreted the phrase as a political statement, adding to controversy surrounding the performance.

The halftime show had been expected to be the first in Super Bowl history sung entirely in Spanish.

However, pop artist Lady Gaga appeared during the show to perform the Bruno Mars song “Die With a Smile,” altering those expectations.

Bad Bunny also drew attention for wearing a mock football jersey that read “Ocasio 64.”

Ocasio is the artist’s last name.

Some observers speculated that the number referenced the initial death toll from Hurricane Maria reported by the Puerto Rican government, which was later revised to nearly 3,000.

No official explanation for the jersey was provided during the broadcast.

Despite the backlash, the performance was not universally criticized. Some fans and athletes expressed support for the show, including former NFL star J.J. Watt and New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, who praised the performance publicly.

Meanwhile, a significant number of viewers chose to skip the official halftime show altogether.

Instead, many tuned into Turning Point USA’s “All-American” halftime show, which featured Kid Rock and other performers. Among those who opted for the alternative broadcast were Pro Football Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson and Brett Favre, as well as former ESPN host Sage Steele.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Trump planned to watch the alternative program rather than the NFL broadcast.

“I think the president would much prefer a Kid Rock performance over Bad Bunny. I must say that,” Leavitt told reporters during Thursday’s White House press briefing.

Ahead of the Super Bowl, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defended the league’s decision to select Bad Bunny as the halftime performer, emphasizing both his global popularity and the NFL’s stated goals for the event.

“Listen, Bad Bunny is, and I think that was demonstrated last night, one of the great artists in the world and that’s one of the reasons we chose him,” Goodell said.

“But the other reason is he understood the platform he was on and this platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talents and to be able to use this moment to do that and I think artists in the past have done that.

“I think Bad Bunny understands that and I think he’ll have a great performance.”

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