You probably haven’t heard of Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. But you likely know him by his stage name, Bad Bunny.
Unless you’re President Donald Trump.
Trump on Oct. 6 told Newsmax’s Greg Kelly that he had “never heard” of Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican music megastar who was recently announced as the headliner for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.
During the interview with Trump, Kelly alleged that Bad Bunny “hates ICE” and “accuses everything he doesn’t like of racism.” The conservative news host also pushed the president on whether viewers should boycott the NFL over their choice of Super Bowl halftime entertainer.
In response, Trump said: “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. … Then they blame it on some promoter that they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Bad Bunny, a reggaeton superstar who sings almost exclusively in Spanish, is among the most popular musical artists in the world. He was the world’s most-streamed artist on Spotify for three years running, from 2020 to 2022. His sixth studio album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” − which was a love letter to Puerto Rico and his heritage − spent weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart earlier this year.
Here’s how Trump and Bad Bunny have collided politically and culturally throughout the years:
Bad Bunny vs. Trump’s immigration policy
Trump’s administration has enacted widespread immigration raids and rollbacks to immigrant protections. And Bad Bunny hasn’t been silent about it.
Bad Bunny did not schedule any U.S. appearances for his latest world tour, which includes stops across Latin America, Australia, Europe and Japan. Ahead of the tour, he held a residency in Puerto Rico from July 11 to Sept. 14 that brought thousands of fans from across the world to the island.
In an interview published Sept. 10, Bad Bunny said Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns were part of the reason he opted not to bring his tour to the U.S.
“There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate,” he told I-D magazine. “… But there was the issue of—like, (expletive) ICE could be outside (my concert). And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
‘Nuevayol’ music video takes apparent swipe at Trump
Bad Bunny also seemingly made a pointed statement about Trump’s anti-immigration policies in the music video for his song “Nuevayol,” the first track off his latest album. After showing a Puerto Rican flag hanging over the forehead of the Statue of Liberty, a voice that sounds like Trump’s plays from a radio and says:
“I made a mistake. I want to apologize to the immigrants in America,” the voice says. “… I want to say that this country is nothing without the immigrants. This country is nothing without Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Cubans …”
MAGA allies criticize Super Bowl halftime choice
Since Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner of the Super Bowl, some of Trump’s allies have criticized the NFL’s choice.
Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager and a current adviser at the Department of Homeland Security, last week suggested that ICE agents may be at next year’s Super Bowl.
Then, according to Fox News, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed the administration would be sending immigration officials to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and called the NFL “so weak” for their choice of performer.
Bad Bunny supported Kamala Harris after ‘Kill Tony’ controversy
Bad Bunny backed former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
The move came after a comedian performing at one of Trump’s closing campaign rallies derided Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” The remark from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who goes by the stage name Kill Tony, caused widespread backlash. The Trump campaign at the time released a statement saying the remarks did not reflect the then-Republican candidate’s views.
After Hinchcliffe’s comments went viral, Bad Bunny shared a video of Harris criticizing Trump’s actions against Puerto Rico when he was president. On his Instagram Story, Bad Bunny shared a post from Harris’ Instagram account that outlines her agenda for the island.
He then shared a clip of Harris’ post that said: “I will never forget what Donald Trump did – and what he did not do – when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader. He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back to back devastating hurricanes, and offered nothing more than paper towels and insults.”
Bad Bunny critical of Trump’s hurricane response in Puerto Rico
During Trump’s first presidency, two back-to-back hurricanes, including Hurricane Maria, ravaged Puerto Rico in 2017. Around 3,000 people died and thousands more were displaced.
Bad Bunny at the time criticized the Trump administration’s response and lack of aid to the island following Hurricane Maria. An image also went viral of Trump tossing paper towel rolls into crowds when he visited following the devastation.
During a benefit concert for hurricane relief across Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Caribbean in 2017, Bad Bunny wrote a shirt that seemed to be directed at Trump: “¿Eres Twitero o Presidente?”
Or in English: “Are You a Tweeter or President?”
Contributing: Kinsey Crowley, Pamela Avila, Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
