The president criticized both performers, calling them “terrible choices.” “It only instills hatred.
Conference Championship Weekend Picks and Predictions
USA TODAY Sports’ Joe Rivera, Chris Bumbaka and Jarrett Bell break down who they think will earn a ticket to Super Bowl 60.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump made history last year by becoming the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl.
This year, he will miss an important game scheduled for February 8th in California.
In a Jan. 23 interview with the New York Post, he said a blockbuster event was “too far away.”
But he’s also unhappy with prominent Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, rock band Green Day and other musical performers who criticize Trump.
“I’m against them,” the president said, but stressed that was not a reason to avoid the match. “I think it’s a terrible choice. It just instills hatred. It’s terrible.”
Commentary: Trump vs. Bad Bunny, Green Day
Artists performing at the LX Super Bowl individually expressed public criticism of the president.
Trump is particularly at odds with upcoming halftime performer Bad Bunny, one of the world’s most popular musicians who supported former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Dubbed the “King of Latin Trap,” he became the world’s most listened to artist on Spotify for the fourth time last year. (According to statistics shared exclusively with USA TODAY, he was streamed more than 60 million times daily on the app.)
The reggaeton group had no plans to stop in the United States on its latest world tour, in part due to concerns about the Trump administration’s broadly aggressive immigration enforcement policies.
“There were many reasons why I didn’t come to the United States, but none of them were out of hatred,” the rapper told ID Magazine. “But there were issues, like the possibility of (expletive) ICE getting outside (of my concert). And that’s something we were talking about and very concerned about.”
Green Day, the rock band that will perform at the opening ceremony of the Super Bowl, has criticized President Trump many times over the years. During a New Year’s Eve performance two years ago, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong changed the lyrics of the group’s hit song “American Idiot” from “I’m not part of the redneck agenda” to “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda.”
Artists have recently delved into Stephen Miller, one of President Trump’s top Western advisers, and the president’s immigration enforcement policies more broadly.
When is the 2026 Super Bowl? Who is playing?
The title game will be held on February 8th at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Participating teams will be determined by the results of this weekend’s conference championships. The New England Patriots will play the Denver Broncos for a spot in the AFC, while the Los Angeles Rams will face the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC.
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..
