The Unexpected Common Ground Between Bad Bunny and MAGA

The mustache was perfectly waxed, the electric guitar distorted just right, and the grievance against elites was served with a side of patriotic fervor. But this wasn't Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show—it was the alternative performance staged by Turning Point USA, featuring Kid Rock and other country artists, designed as a direct counter-programming to the Puerto Rican superstar's main event.

What happened next was perhaps the most revealing cultural moment of 2025: two shows that were supposed to represent opposite sides of America's culture war ended up celebrating remarkably similar values.

The Tale of Two Halftimes

While millions watched Bad Bunny perform at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, a smaller but vocal audience tuned into Turning Point USA's alternative show. The conservative organization, led by Charlie Kirk, had positioned their event as a patriotic response to what they anticipated would be a divisive, anti-American performance.

Instead, both shows celebrated working-class pride, the sanctity of marriage, and love of country. Bad Bunny hosted an actual wedding during his performance and declared "God bless America" while dancing atop a pickup truck—a visual that could have been lifted straight from any country music video. Meanwhile, Kid Rock sang about putting "a diamond on her hand," and Lee Brice performed "Drinking Class," extolling the virtues of those who "bust our backs" from Monday through Friday.

The New York Times noted that Bad Bunny was "summoning a Latin heritage across generations, one that recognized hard work—cane-cutting, electric-grid repairs—alongside the good times workers sweated to earn." This sentiment wasn't lost on the Turning Point performers, who built their entire setlist around similar themes.

The Patriotism Paradox

Both shows wrapped themselves in American symbolism, but with different levels of complexity. Brantley Gilbert sang about flying "that red, white, blue, high, waving all across the land," while Bad Bunny displayed American flags alongside Puerto Rican and other Latin American banners, creating a more inclusive vision of patriotism.

The authenticity markers were strikingly similar too. Turning Point's performers emphasized "real" instruments—guitars and drum kits as signifiers of genuine artistry. Bad Bunny countered with a live brass salsa band and the characteristic Puerto Rican cuatro, proving that authenticity comes in many forms.

Even their grievances against elites found common ground, though with vastly different legitimacy. Bad Bunny's performance atop imitation power poles with sparking transformers symbolized Puerto Rico's fragile electrical grid—a tangible result of political corruption and systemic neglect. The Turning Point show's complaints about liberal elites felt more abstract and manufactured by comparison.

The Joy Deficit

Perhaps the most telling difference wasn't in the message, but in the delivery. Bad Bunny's performance radiated what one critic called "good old-fashioned pleasure principle"—the idea that living American values should be joyful, celebratory, even exuberant.

The Turning Point show, despite singing about having a good time, appeared notably joyless. The performers looked like they were fulfilling an obligation rather than celebrating a culture. Kid Rock appeared to lip-sync his 1999 hit "Bawitdaba" on a darkened, austere soundstage that felt more like a political rally than a party.

This joy deficit may explain why MAGA has struggled to capture America's cultural imagination despite its political successes. When President Trump ranted on Truth Social that Bad Bunny's performance was "absolutely terrible" and "nobody understands a word this guy is saying," he missed the point entirely. Understanding wasn't required—the energy and authenticity transcended language barriers.

The Backlash That Proved the Point

The right-wing response to Bad Bunny's performance inadvertently strengthened his argument about inclusive American values. Critics charged that his message would be divisive (it wasn't) or claimed he was an immigrant (he's a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico). Laura Loomer was most direct: "This isn't White enough for me."

These reactions revealed the real divide wasn't about values—it was about who gets to embody them. Bad Bunny's critics couldn't argue with his message of hard work, family values, and patriotism, so they attacked his right to deliver it.

The irony wasn't lost on careful observers. Here was a Puerto Rican artist celebrating American ideals with more genuine enthusiasm than his supposed cultural opponents, while those claiming to defend American values spent their time attacking an American citizen for being too American in the wrong language.