Updated ,first published
Washington: In the end, the only overt political message of the Super Bowl came from the reactionary right.
It was President Donald Trump’s MAGA conservatives who were so affronted by the prospect of a hugely successful, Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican rapper filling the coveted half-time slot that they felt compelled to stage a fake half-time revue of their own.
So while upwards of 130 million Americans tuned in to Latino superstar Bad Bunny at Levi’s Stadium (based on the audience for last year’s show), a more modest number switched to the Turning Point USA YouTube channel to watch ’90s throwback Kid Rock and three other country stars.
The All-American Halftime Show was billed as “a one-of-a-kind half-time event celebrating American culture, Freedom and Faith”. Kid Rock (real name Robert James Ritchie) has become something of a Trump tribute act, having performed at the 2024 Republican National Convention and Trump’s pre-inauguration victory rally.
“This one’s for you, Charlie,” announced emcee Jack Posobiec, a right-wing commentator, as he kicked off proceedings. He was referring to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who founded Turning Point and was assassinated last year while speaking at a university in Utah.
The rival half-time event was hyped by the White House and the vast US right-wing media ecosystem. It was aired on conservative networks such as Real America’s Voice and One America News.
There were 4.1 million users watching Turning Point USA’s YouTube channel when this masthead checked, just as Kid Rock hit the stage in a pair of cut-off jean shorts. The New York Times reported the figure ran as high as 6.1 million.
Ostensibly, the exercise was a protest against Bad Bunny – a controversial choice for the NFL, given he is not afraid to voice his opinions on the Trump administration and its immigration crackdown.
“ICE out!” he began his Grammy acceptance speech last week. “We are not savages, we are not animals, we are not aliens – we are humans, and we are Americans,” he said to applause.
Indeed, Bad Bunny – whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio – is almost designed in a lab to irritate MAGA conservatives. Widely considered the most successful Latino rapper of all time, he performs only in Spanish, dabbles in drag culture and has described his sexuality as fluid. He also excluded the US from his most recent tour out of fear that concerts might be targeted by ICE.
Many conservatives were furious when the NFL announced Bad Bunny’s appearance last year. Trump called the choice “absolutely ridiculous”. “I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it – it’s, like, crazy,” he told Newsmax.
But in the end, Ocasio opted not to use one of the world’s biggest stages to make an overt political statement. Instead, his performance – along with a cast of stars including Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin – was a joyous celebration of Latino culture, with just a nod to the chaotic political climate around him.
“The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” read the words on the big screen. Bad Bunny even said the magic words: “God bless America.”
But that didn’t stop MAGA diehards from trying to provoke a reaction.
“What the hell is this illegal alien farm worker non English shit on my TV,” wrote far-right commentator Laura Loomer on X. “Someone call @ICEgov.”
Nick Adams, the Australian-American MAGA enthusiast whom Trump has nominated to be ambassador to Malaysia, said parents should cover their children’s ears. “I can’t understand a word of it but I just know it’s foul, vulgar and demonic,” he wrote.
The biggest whinge of all, of course, came from Trump. Despite his press secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier suggesting he would be watching Kid Rock, it appeared the president was tempted to tune in for at least some of the official half-time show.
“Absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” he posted on social media. “It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and it doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting.”
Trump went on to call it a “slap in the face” to the US, and then boast of the sharemarket being at record highs.
No amount of performative posting can change the facts. Ultimately, Bad Bunny delivered a knockout spectacle and sent a powerful message without actually having to say anything.
Meanwhile, the haters on the reactionary right cloistered themselves in a corner with their sad, off-off-off-Broadway dummy-spit.
As Americans like to say: “They’re not ready for prime-time.”
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.