Donald Trump says he will skip Super Bowl due to Bad Bunny and Green Day: "I'm anti-them"

Trump said he was unhappy with the halftime show performers, both of whom have previously been critical of him

US President Donald Trump has said he will not attend this year’s Super Bowl, while criticising the artists selected to perform during the halftime show.

In an exclusive Oval Office interview with New York Post, Trump said he was unhappy with the choice of Latin rap star Bad Bunny and rock band Green Day, both of whom have previously been critical of him. The NFL championship game is scheduled to take place on February 8 in San Francisco.

“I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible,” Trump said when asked about the performers.

Despite his criticism, the president said the musicians were not the main reason behind his decision to skip the event. He cited travel distance as the deciding factor.

“It’s just too far away. I would. I’ve [gotten] great hands [at] the Super Bowl. They like me,” Trump said. “I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter.”

Bad Bunny, who was born in Puerto Rico, has a large Spanish-language audience and has been openly critical of Trump. Last year, he released the song “Nuevayol”, which featured an imitated Trump voice saying, “I want to apologize to the immigrants in America. . . . This country is nothing without the immigrants. This country is nothing without Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Cubans.”

Green Day has also voiced opposition to Trump. Lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong recently expressed support for anti-deportation protesters in Minnesota, saying: “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda. I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda.”

Trump attended last year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, where the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. That game drew additional attention due to pop star Taylor Swift supporting the Chiefs, whose tight end Travis Kelce is her partner.