Trump brands NFL's Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show selection 'absolutely ridiculous'

Donald Trump called the NFL's decision to give the Super Bowl halftime show to Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny 'crazy'. 

The president told Newsmax that he was unfamiliar with the 31-year-old musician but that the NFL was wrong to give him the prestigious gig given his previously stated dislike for Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

'I never heard of him, I don't know who he is, I don't know why they're doing it, it's like, crazy,' the president said. 

He also felt that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was blaming the decision 'on some promoter they hired.'

'I think it's absolutely ridiculous,' Trump added, before tacking on his long-held complaint that the league's new kickoff rules are ruining the sport.

The rapper - who was born Benito Antonio Martinez - was the host of 'Saturday Night Live' this week and during his opening monologue, he addressed his haters.

'You might not know this but I'm doing the Super Bowl halftime show and I'm very happy and I think everyone is happy about it - even Fox News,' Bad Bunny said.

A heavily-edited clip then played, stitching together the comments of various Fox anchors and pundits so that they said: 'Bad Bunny is my favorite musician and he should be the next president.'

He continued: 'Thank you. Wow, thank you. But really, I am very excited to be doing the Super Bowl and I know that people all around the world who love my music are also happy.'

The rapper than spoke in Spanish for several seconds before finishing his monologue by saying: 'If you did not understand what I just said... you have four months to learn!'

In the Spanish portion of his monologue, Bad Bunny took another shot at his critics and thanked those who paved the way for him. 

'Especially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors,' he said.

'It’s more than a win for myself, it’s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it.'

Bad Bunny addressed his decision to make a sole mainland US appearance just moments before the NFL revealed he was playing the Super Bowl.

'I've been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I'll do just one date in the United States,' the musician tweeted in Spanish.

MAGA world erupted after the Puerto Rican artist was named for the highly-coveted gig.

Bad Bunny spoke to Variety about the reason he didn't schedule any mainland US tour dates. 

He cited the lengthy residency in Puerto Rico - a US territory - and the Trump Administration's increasing use of ICE agents as reasons why he wouldn't perform.

'Man, honestly, yes,' he replied. 'There were many reasons why I didn't show up in the US, and none of them were out of hate — I've performed there many times.

'All of (the shows) have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I've enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the US.

'But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the US… People from the US could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world. 

'But there was the issue of — like, f*****g ICE could be outside (my concert). And it's something that we were talking about and very concerned about.' 

Earlier this week, Trump's advisor revealed agents will have a presence at America's biggest event and bemoaned Bad Bunny's selection to perform.

'It’s so shameful they picked someone who seems to hate America,' Lewandowski said. 

'There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and no where else. We will find and deport you. That is a very real situation.' 

While Lewandowski slammed the NFL for tapping the singer to play the big game, he claimed that ICE would have a presence at the big event anyway.

'I don't care if it's a concert for Johnny Smith or Bad Bunny or anybody else. We're going to do enforcement everywhere. We are going to make Americans safe,' he said. 'That is a directive from the president. If you're in this country illegally, do yourself a favor: Go home.' 

Bad Bunny getting the gig follows weeks of speculation over who would perform. The NFL typically announces the artist for the halftime show in Week 1. 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had long teased pop superstar Taylor Swift to perform at the show, especially after she announced her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.  

'We would always love to have Taylor play. She is a special, special talent, and obviously she would be welcome at any time,' Goodell said on the TODAY Show earlier this month.

When pressed by host Savannah Guthrie for more details, Goodell replied, 'I can't tell you anything about it' before adding that it was a 'maybe'.

This marks the third time in the last five Super Bowls where the artist performing was a rapper.

At Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, a cast of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Anderson .Paak, and Kendrick Lamar performed. Last year, at Super Bowl LIX, Lamar was the main headliner alongside R&B artist SZA.

According to the Spotify Weekly Top Artists Global chart for the week of September 19, Bad Bunny is the second-most streamed artist behind Swift.

He has over 77million monthly listeners on the platform and over 101million followers on Spotify.

Bad Bunny has been credited with popularizing the sound of Spanish-language rap and trap music worldwide.

He has won three Grammy Awards, eleven Latin Grammy Awards, and has two albums which have gone Platinum in the United States (YHLQMDLG and El Último Tour Del Mundo, both of which were released in 2020).