Trump confirms he will not attend Super Bowl because of music acts: ‘I’m anti-them’

President Donald Trump said he will skip this year’s Super Bowl, using the decision to sharply criticize the NFL’s choice of entertainers, opening act Green Day and halftime performer Bad Bunny, both of whom have publicly opposed the president’s agenda.

In an Oval Office interview with the New York Post published Saturday, Trump, 79, called the lineup “a terrible choice” for the February showdown in San Francisco.

I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible,” Trump said.

Trump added, however, that the performers themselves are not the reason he plans to skip the game, citing travel concerns instead.

“It’s just too far away. I would. I’ve gotten great hands for the Super Bowl, they like me,” Trump said. “I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter.”

The NFL’s decision to feature Latin artist Bad Bunny at halftime has already sparked controversy in some conservative circles, with critics arguing that his predominantly Spanish-language music and stances on issues such as immigration make him an unconventional pick for the game’s massive audience.

His 2025 song “Nuevayol” features an imitated Trump voice saying, “I want to apologize to the immigrants in America. . . . This country is nothing without the immigrants. This country is nothing without Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Cubans.”

The latest buzz about the King of Latin Trap’s performance comes from an anonymous stylist who told Radar Online that he plans to wear a dress during the halftime show to honor Puerto Rican queer icons and drag culture. This has yet to be confirmed by the singer or the NFL.

Green Day, which formed in the East Bay Area in the 1980s, is set to perform during the game’s opening ceremony. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has long denounced the administration and has altered the lyrics of the band’s 2004 Grammy-nominated song “American Idiot” during live performances, changing the line “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda” to “I’m not a part of a MAGA agenda.”

In July, Armstrong led a Download Festival crowd in a chant calling Trump a “fat bastard.”

We are super hyped to open Super Bowl 60 right in our backyard!” Armstrong said in a statement. “We are honored to welcome the MVPs who’ve shaped the game and open the night for fans all over the world. Let’s have fun! Let’s get loud!”

Trump attended last year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, where he watched the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Kansas City Chiefs.

Earlier this week, he also received a warm welcome from fans at the College Football Playoff national championship in Miami. Attending the game with his daughter Ivanka and granddaughter Kai, Trump waved to the crowd during the national anthem before Indiana beat Miami 27-21, completing an undefeated national title season.