With all the threats of ICE agents at the Super Bowl on Sunday, and Donald Trump and his MAGA minions vowing to change the channel when Bad Bunny hits the halftime stage in sunny Santa Clara for an all-Spanish-language performance, Gavin Newsom on Saturday gave the Grammy winner a whole day of his own.
Additionally, the Caifornia governor took a swipe at POTUS pal Kid Rock‘s career woes and the conservative alternative halftime show planned for the big game between the Seattle Seahawks and underdogs the New England Patriots.
“I am declaring tomorrow in California as ‘Bad Bunny Day’ when Bad Bunny performs at the big game in the Golden State with his soothing, beautiful voice, and his very nice looks,” revealed a very tongue-in-cheek posting Saturday from Newsom’s press office feed.
Long trolling Trump in what many view as the lead-up to a 2028 White House bid by the two-term Democrat, Newsom’s missive comes in all caps and with the over-the-top self-aggrandizement that is common to POTUS himself — which is often the point. It is also no joke on another level, as February 8 really is officially “Bad Bunny Day” in California.
AS MANY PEOPLE KNOW, I AM A TREMENDOUS LOVER OF “THE SPANISH.” IT IS A BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY MANY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE IN THE GREAT STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND ACROSS THE WORLD. I AM ALSO A HUGE FAN OF PUERRRRRRRTO RICO. THAT IS WHY I AM DECLARING TOMORROW IN CALIFORNIA AS “BAD…
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) February 7, 2026
Not wanting to see any of his fanbase subjected to harassment, abduction or deportation by DHS, Puerto Rican-born and immigration-rights advocate Bad Bunny aka Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio has said the historic Super Bowl LX gig will likely be his only show of the year in the domestic U.S. If there was any doubt where the chart-topping “King of Latin Trap,” who is one of the most streamed artists in the world, is coming from politically, Bad Bunny made it clear with a sharp “‘ICE out! …We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we are humans, and we are Americans” speech at the Grammys last weekend.
Though he gave the traditional pregame interview to the Super Bowl broadcaster this year, Trump will not be at the NBC-airing Super Bowl this weekend, despite his friendship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Begging off because of the distance from the East Coast to Cali (and maybe the jeers and boos he’d likely receive on live TV) and having called Bunny’s selection “ridiculous,” Trump has said he will watch the game on TV. Newsom, in his last year as governor, plans to be among the more than 68,000 fans in the home stadium of the San Francisco 49ers.
Earlier this week without naming any guest stars, recent Grammy Album of the Year winner Bunny said of his plans for the show: “I really want people to have fun. It’s gonna be a huge party. I want to bring what people can expect from me, and a lot from my culture.”
To that, exclaiming that he is a “tremendous lover of the Spanish” and “a huge fan of Puerrrrrrrto Rico,” Newsom stuck it to Team Trump a little more Saturday with a near pitch-perfect impression of the current POTUS: “We love Bad Bunny! He is nearly as ‘hot’ as me, which is a big compliment, because there is nobody “hotter.” Happy Bad Bunny Day, America.”
In a similar vein, Apple boss Tim Cook, who has made a side gig in placating and gifting Trump over the past year, also took to social media this weekend to praise Bunny.
Not that CEO Cook is entirely altruistic in risking Trump’s wrath by hanging out with the singer. Apple Music has been the sponsor of the Super Bowl halftime show since 2023; performers for the big stage are selected by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in partnership with the NFL. Well known to pay lip service to social movements and causes, the Roger Goodell-run league has long sought to expand it reach among Latinos, which likely plays a part in why they backed and continue to back Bunny for the 2026 show despite the MAGA blowback.
Speaking of said blowback, part of the reaction to the halftime show starring Bunny, whose American citizenship has been incorrectly questioned, is a competing “All-American Halftime Show” from the Charlie Kirk-founded Turning Point USA. The much more low-wattage other halftime show will be available on TPUSA’s social feeds, Real America’s Voice, OAN and elsewhere. Having mockingly banned Kid Rock from the state in September last year, the alternative show gave Newsom a nice stick with which to again knock the “angry” country rapper around.
KID ROCK IS BANNED FROM CALIFORNIA. AND NOW HE IS BEING BANNED IN MORE PLACES. TERRIBLE MUSIC. WHY IS HE SO ANGRY? https://t.co/AZWkwXb2w2
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) February 7, 2026
Scheduled to take place at the exact same time as the NFL halftime shindig, the so-called “All-American” show comes as Rock aka Bob Ritchie finds the July 25-26 shows of his MAGA intended “Rock the Country” festival now canceled as one act after another bailed over the politics of it all. No word on how much of the rest of the now seven-city tour will go forward.
BTW: Kid Rock isn’t actually banned from California in case you are wondering.
Also, up in part against the NBC-airing Winter Olympics from Italy, the sure to be well-watched Super Bowl LX officially starts at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT after several hours of pregame festivities. The Seahawks-Patriots matchup will be broadcast live on NBC (them again), stream live on Peacock and be available via a Spanish-language broadcast on Telemundo and Universo.
