Tipsheet

Here Is the Real Reason Bad Bunny Is Anti-American

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  February 09, 2026 2:15 PM

Daniel Di Martino, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a Venezuelan immigrant, says Bad Bunny’s anti-American posture has nothing to do with being a trendy, left-wing, pro-immigration artist. Instead, Di Martino argues, the singer’s rise to global fame was fueled by a record label with direct ties to the Venezuelan socialist regime.

"Did you know Bad Bunny is supported by the Venezuelan socialist regime, and that's why he's famous?" Di Martino asked in a video on X. "That's right, the record label company (Rimas Entertainment) that supports Bad Bunny was founded and owned by a vice minister of the Venezuelan socialist regime, Rafael Ricardo Jimenez."

Jiménez previously served as Hugo Chávez’s Vice Minister of Legal Security and Legal Certainty within Venezuela’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Justice. Jiménez has been suspected of direct involvement in Chávez’s “Mission Identity” program, which was reportedly used to issue false identities to Cuban agents and to facilitate travel for suspected terrorists and drug traffickers. 

He left the post in 2013 and co-founded Rimas Entertainment the following year. In recent years, Jiménez has kept a low profile, avoiding public appearances with Rimas artists, including Bad Bunny, as Noah Assad, Bad Bunny’s manager and the current CEO of Rimas, has reportedly tried to distance himself from Jiménez. 

"And that is why it's not surprising to me that Bad Bunny is promoting anti-American concepts in the Super Bowl halftime show," Di Martino continued. "Saying that America is a colonial power that took Hawaii, saying that America is evil, and that's why Puerto Ricans need independence, and even promoting hook-up culture. You know what I mean if you speak Spanish. So no, Bad Bunny is not a good artist; he's actually a really bad guy, supported by even worse human rights violators."

Daniel Di Martino told Townhall that Bad Bunny's "halftime show felt like another political stunt to advocate for Puerto Rican independence and frame America as a colonial oppressor," adding "that the entire show was very vulgar and pro-hookup culture, as is usual for Bad Bunny." 

This came after it was revealed that Bad Bunny used the halftime stage to promote independence for Puerto Rico, criticize the United States for the colonization of Hawaii, and even attempt to redefine what it means to be “American.” At one point during the performance, he said “God Bless America” in English, before listing countries across both North and South America, underscoring his broader message that “America” extends far beyond the United States. 

Toward the end of the show, the stadium’s massive screens displayed the message, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” which organizers described as the theme of the performance and an apparent jab at the Trump administration, whom Democrats have accused of inciting hostility toward the nation’s immigrant population.

In response to the performance, President Trump wrote on Truth Social: 

The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World. This “Show” is just a “slap in the face” to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day — including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History! There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD — And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new Kickoff Rule. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP