Sara Pequeño: MAGA’s Bad Bunny meltdown proves he was the right choice for Super Bowl 2026

Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny is coming to television screens everywhere, and many members of the MAGA movement are melting down over it.

On Sept. 28, it was announced that the reggaeton artist would be headlining the 2026 Super Bowl LX halftime show in Santa Clara, California. It quickly generated a mixture of excitement and anger as people realized someone who sings exclusively in Spanish and advocates for Puerto Rico is a big enough name to draw crowds for TV’s biggest night in sports.

For those of us who like Bad Bunny, the decision to bill him for the halftime show makes perfect sense: With his hit album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” his onscreen appearances in “Happy Gilmore 2” and “Caught Stealing,” and his sold-out 31-day residency in Puerto Rico, his star power is undeniable. His presence at the Super Bowl will bring in even more viewers, no matter which teams end up playing in February.

For others, it’s a move that goes against American values (which is ironic, considering Puerto Rico is part of the United States).

“Does this guy really scream American football to anyone?” conservative influencer Robby Starbuck posted to X. “Be for real with me. No one thinks he does. This isn’t about music, it’s about putting a guy on stage who hates Trump and MAGA.”

It may be true that Bad Bunny is antithetical to the version of the United States that conservatives believe we live in. But the outrage unleashed by this announcement is more proof that he was the perfect choice.

MAGA’s meltdown is exactly why a Bad Bunny halftime show is meaningful

Bad Bunny isn’t just an influential artist; he’s also someone who has championed his community in the face of adversity. His most recent album, “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” is a love letter to his island. He notably refused to play any shows in the United States for the album’s tour out of concern that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would use the concerts to target his fans.

His political stances are exactly why the right is so upset about his Super Bowl performance – they know he’s going to use the moment to highlight the way President Donald Trump is harming the Latino community.

“This Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show is going to be a giant ‘ANTI-ICE’ rally,” one conservative posted to X. Another said that this was a sign the NFL was “self-destructing.”

But the importance of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance goes beyond standing up to ICE. It’s about the fact that Trump has emboldened people to complain when someone speaks Spanish in a public place. It’s about the fact that people feel comfortable using anti-immigrant slurs. It’s about the fact that countries like Cuba and Venezuela have become shorthand for “look at what happens when the left takes control” without any understanding of the nuances of how these Latin American countries have been affected by U.S. interference. It’s about the material ramifications of anti-Latino sentiment, like how the U.S. government failed Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria decimated the island in 2017.

Of course, one Super Bowl performance will not heal the Latin American community. But this is a huge win in the wake of conservative attacks. The “Tití Me Preguntó” singer said it best: “This is for my people, my culture, and our history.”

Bad Bunny helped me build a cultural connection I needed

This is the first time in years that I’ve been excited about a Super Bowl halftime show. I’ve been a Bad Bunny fan since 2018. I may not always understand what he’s saying, but I know how his music makes me feel.

For years, it felt like the only connection I had to Latinidad was my last name. I grew up in a predominantly white town far away from my dad’s side of the family, which is Cuban and Honduran; I never learned to speak Spanish or how to cook traditional Cuban foods. It wasn’t until college, when I began reporting on Latin America and immigration during the first Trump administration, that I began to understand the importance of claiming my identity. A big part of that revelation also involved listening to Bad Bunny’s debut album, “X 100PRE.”

Bad Bunny is important to me because his music makes me feel part of a culture I often find myself on the outskirts of. The way he embraces Puerto Rico and the larger Latin American diaspora is important, especially given the way Trump has demonized members of our community. Knowing that Benito will be on a national stage, spreading that message, makes me proud of my roots.

I’m not the only one elated about this news. Influencer Tefi Pessoa posted a TikTok celebrating the announcement and what it means for Latinidad.

“It’s representation, it’s defiance, it is joy in the face of people who tried to shrink us,” Pessoa told her followers. “That’s what it is. And you know what? It’s proof to Latino kids all over the United States that you don’t have to code-switch to belong.”

Follow USA Today columnist Sara Pequeño on X, @sara__pequeno.