The NFL announced the Puerto Rican superstar will headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show. Days later, senior Trump officials threatened to send ICE agents to the game. This isn’t about immigration enforcement. This is payback.
From Paper Towels to Political Throwdowns, Bad Bunny Went All Out on Donald Trump
From Paper Towels to Political Throwdowns, Bad Bunny Went All Out on Donald Trump (Screenshot Via Youtube/@Guardian News)
The real reason? Bad Bunny went to war with Donald Trump over Puerto Rico and won’t back down.
From Paper Towels to Political Throwdowns, Bad Bunny Went All Out on Donald Trump
This clash didn’t come out of nowhere. Bad Bunny made Trump an enemy during the 2024 election. The Puerto Rican recording artist opposed Trump and supported Kamala Harris.
But Bad Bunny was not the first to start this. A comedian at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Bad Bunny responded within hours. He shared a Kamala Harris video to his 45 million Instagram followers.
Harris hit Trump hard in that clip. “I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and competent leader,” she said. She mentioned paper towels. Everyone knew what that meant.
After Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rico in 2017, Trump visited the island. Hetossed paper towels into a crowd like he was shooting free throws at a charity game. The moment became infamous. Puerto Ricans never forgot.
Harris called Trump’s response “nothing more than paper towel and insults.” Bad Bunny amplified that message.
He turned his Instagram into a political weapon aimed straight at Trump. Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin joined him. Three Puerto Rican superstars backed Harris after the garbage comment.
Bad Bunny’s endorsement helped swing Latino voters in key states. The Trump team remembered.
From Tour Snubs to Super Bowl Slaps, Bad Bunny’s Middle Finger to Trump
Before the NFL announced him as the halftime performer, Bad Bunny explained why he left the continental United States off his upcoming world tour. The decision is tied directly to the Trump administration’s mass deportations targeting Latinos.
Hetold i-D magazine that ICE raids worried him. He feared immigration agents could show up “outside my concert.” He didn’t want his fans targeted. When asked if he made this choice out of concern for Latino fans, Bad Bunny said: “Man, honestly, yes.”
The tour covered Europe, Australia, and South America. He left his biggest market off the schedule. That cost him serious money. He did it on principle.
Then the NFL picked him for the Super Bowl. The Trump administration lost it.
Corey Lewandowski said it’s “shameful” that the NFL “decided to pick somebody who seems to hate America so much”. He declared, “There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people in this country illegally”. The message was clear. ICE will be at the Super Bowl because Bad Bunny will be there.
This is political retaliation dressed up as immigration enforcement. Bad Bunny worried about ICE at his concerts. Trump’s team just promised to make that fear reality at the biggest show on earth.
The Super Bowl draws over 100 million viewers. Bad Bunny will have the platform Trump can’t stand him having. The halftime show becomes a political statement whether Bad Bunny says a word or not.
His presence alone is defiance. He skipped touring America because of ICE. Now he’s performing at America’s biggest event. The Trump administration threatening ICE raids just proves his point.