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By Marni Rose McFall
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TurningPoint USA has officially announced the line-up for its rival Super Bowl halftime show, and MAGA have shared their responses online, with the likes of Donald Trump Jr. and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sharing reactions.
Why It Matters
TurningPoint USA, the conservative activist group led by co-founder Charlie Kirk until his death, announced it would host its own halftime show, or “All American Halftime Show,” in response to backlash over the NFL’s decision to feature Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl LX halftime headliner.
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Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is one of the most popular artists in the world, having recently won the Grammy award for Album of the Year for his album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, in a history making win which marked the first time a Spanish-language album has won the award, considered to be one of the most prestigious honors in music.
MAGA and conservatives, though, took umbrage with the 31-year-old performing at the Super Bowl, due to his criticism of President Donald Trump, his speaking out over avoiding U.S. performances due to concerns over ICE raids, and the fact that he sings all of his songs in Spanish.
Bad Bunny has continually used his platform to speak out against ICE, and when accepting the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album for his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, said, “Before I say thanks to God, I'm gonna say: ICE out."
What To Know
TurningPoint USA confirmed the line up in a post on X on February 2nd, viewed 5.3 million times.
The musicians Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett will all be performing at the rival half time show.
The president’s eldest son wrote on X in response, “I’ll take this over Woke Bunny any day of the week.”
Hegseth, meanwhile, wrote “Hey @TPUSA, how can @DeptofWar get in on this?”
Conservative political commentator Gunther Eagleman posted on X, “Share if you plan to tune into TPUSA's All-American Halftime Show over the Super Bowl halftime show.”
Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville also responded, after he had said in an interview with Newsmax that he would be watching TurningPoint USA’s halftime show. Tuberville wrote on X, “Roger 'WOKE' Goodell better be taking notes. Millions of Americans would rather hear good music from these patriots instead of anti-American propaganda from Bad Rabbit, or whatever his name is…”
The four artists have a lower listenership than Bad Bunny: Gilbert has 2.8 million listeners, Barrett has 3.8 million listeners, Brice has 4.8 million listeners, and Rock has 5.1 million listeners, while Bad Bunny has 82.7 million listeners, meaning that the combined monthly listenership of the four artists accounts for less than a quarter of Bad Bunny’s.
While MAGA have responded positively, others have mocked the show, and others have expressed upset and disappointment in the lineup, with some specifically upset that Creed is not on the performing. “Where is @creed?” one social media user wrote in response to the TurningPoint USA line up, in a post viewed 25,000 times. “I’ll be watching but I am a little disappointed in this lineup,” another wrote.
Other social media users have described the show as “pathetic” and “sad.”
What People Are Saying
Social media user Eric Jay wrote on X: “Lol c'mon, how can anyone be so painfully naive and unwary of how pathetic this comes across? This isn't about football or music, it's about bigotry, it's about cultural grievances, it's about identity signaling and it's about thinking that such a lazy, shallow, petty, and humiliating attempt at counterprogramming amounts to some kind of symbolic resistance.”
The account @BarronTNews_, in a post on X viewed over 50,000 times: “No woke lectures. No anti-America nonsense. Just REAL music for REAL Americans.”
**Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, speaking to the press about Bad Bunny’s halftime performance after the Grammys: “**This platform is used to unite people, and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talents, and to be able to use this moment to do that. And I think artists in the past have done that. I think Bad Bunny understands that, and I think he’ll have a great performance.”
What Happens Next?
The Super Bowl will take place on February 8.
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