Super Bowl Halftime Show Was All-American Triumph–Slap to Trump’s Boring MAGA Grift With Kid Rock

The dreadful MAGA event was predicated on outrage over them multi-talented Bad Bunny, a proud Puerto Rican who performs in Spanish, who was selected to perform the Super Bowl halftime show.

Because those angry about Bad Bunny couldn’t say the quiet part out loud — outside of Turning Point conspicuously surveying fans about what kinds of music they would want. One of the choices was “Anything in English” — vague language used to invoke patriotism.

Unfortunately, the All-American Halftime Show was unable to evoke more than a shrug, with halfhearted pop-country performances that showed the limitations of booking big show with minimal talent.

The open-mic night trudged along, as bunny emojis menacingly flooded the live chat and broke up the RNC-lite staging of the musical acts. Lee Brice’s three-song set was accurately described by his closer, “Hard to Love,” and Gabby Barrett’s two-song blip proved these two artists still aren’t ready for primetime. Their gambit to align themselves with the MAGA crowd might be their only hope in elevating their careers.

The highlight was headliner Kid Rock, whose presence has elevated his career for decades. Starting energetically with bright lights, a big flag and a huge fur coat, it was fun for a moment to root for the guy taking a shot at the nearly-30-year-old rap-rock anthem “Bawitdaba.” Breaking it down with a big fedora and jean shorts, Kid Rock resembled someone’s fun-loving uncle four drinks deep in a Tampa karaoke bar. But it quickly became clear that the self-described “American Bad Ass” decided that lip syncing to the backing track was too square, so he just kinda… stopped. It was the night’s only truly unexpected moment.

A classical duo then played lengthy string interlude, and Kid Rock was reintroduced with his very serious government name, Robert James Ritchie, to play a very serious song, a cover of Cody Johnson’s “Til You Can’t.” It was a somber moment that likely sent audiences scrambling to pop open another beer.

Prior to MAGA, Kid Rock’s biggest political affiliation was stumping for Mitt Romney’s milquetoast 2012 presidential campaign. Yet in 2016 — the year after his singles last hit the Billboard Hot 100 — he rode hard for the loud-mouthed Trump. Since then, he’s been riding that wave of partisan relevancy, popping up at random functions to rap at puzzled congressmen and sing mawkish ballads to wealthy donors. Hey, the Trump family is making money off of this MAGA thing — why can’t other grifters with merch stores full of American flag gear jump on the train?

While the Turning Point show screamed about patriotism, Bad Bunny’s official show was filled with highlight after highlight of exciting things about America: a nation full of people who came here with talent and differences worth embracing.

Even if you don’t speak Spanish, the visual storytelling evoked so many people living the American dream, from the workers in the opening segment, to elderly folks, female friendships, dancing, drinks, and unabashed jubilation and unity.

Ignore the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot of a few guys grinding on each other, and there was even plenty that the MAGA crowd would enjoy if they bothered to watch it: A real-life wedding! Beautiful women dancing! A great, big declaration of “God Bless America”!

But there was never going to be a good-faith effort to meet Bad Bunny’s show halfway. Like clockwork,

Trump sent out a long message on Truth Social after it ended, slamming it. Note to Trump: “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying” … he sings in Spanish, dude! Better take that cognitive test again.)

The final words shown during Bad Bunny’s performance were seen on massive video screen: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”

While the final words on the Turning Point broadcast? “Get involved,” were next to QR code begging for more money.

Super Bowl 2026: Halftime Show Was All-American Triumph

Super Bowl Halftime Show Was All-American Triumph–Slap to Trump’s Boring MAGA Grift With Kid Rock

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