This year’s Super Bowl halftime show was supposed to be a 13-minute musical spectacle starring global superstar Bad Bunny. And in many ways, it delivered: a high-energy, all-Spanish set complete with surprise guest Lady Gaga, a salsa dance break, and even a spontaneous on-stage wedding. The performance closed with a giant screen proclaiming “the only thing more powerful than hate is love” – a unifying message aimed at celebrating “America – all of it” in Bad Bunny’s words. It was the kind of feel-good, inclusive show meant to entertain a massive audience (an estimated record 135 million viewers tuned in) and maybe even bring people together for a moment.

Instead, welcome to 2026: by Monday morning, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Puerto Rican reggaetón star had announced a run for office. The halftime show instantly became a Rorschach test for red and blue America. While most normal fans were swapping opinions on the setlist, the political class was busy drafting partisan hot takes. Even NFL legend Tom Brady – usually known more for winning Super Bowls than weighing in on culture wars – got inadvertently swept into the fray. Brady enjoyed the show so much he summed it up in just one emphatic word on Instagram: “Amazing!!!!!!!!!” (accompanied by a flurry of heart emojis). But what was, to Brady and millions of viewers, just a fun and “amazing” musical break, quickly became something else entirely in the hands of politicians and pundits.

On the right, the halftime spectacle was immediately flagged as the latest battle in the culture war. Never mind that Bad Bunny literally opened by saying “God Bless America” – the fact that his performance celebrated Latino culture and was almost entirely in Spanish was enough to send certain conservatives into a fury. Former President Donald Trump fumed that the show was “an affront to the Greatness of America”, framing a bilingual pop medley as an existential threat to national identity. Right-wing influencers went even further off the deep end. YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul loudly vowed to boycott the performance, branding Bad Bunny “a fake American citizen who publicly hates America”. (For the record, Bad Bunny hails from Puerto Rico – whose residents, last we checked, are American citizens – a fact seemingly lost on the outrage machine.)

The spectacle of a Puerto Rican artist showcasing his heritage on a global stage was cast by some on the right as a sinister act of provocation. In a feat of mental gymnastics, a halftime show with a “loving, positive message” ended up denounced as unpatriotic propaganda. Conservative commentators complained that the NFL was pushing “woke” politics by selecting a Spanish-speaking performer, as if Despacito were a greater threat to the republic than a 29–13 football game. One conservative activist group even refused to stay on the sidelines: Turning Point USA hastily organized an “All American Halftime Show” as a counter-program to Bad Bunny’s set. (Because nothing says unity like holding a dueling halftime event to protect fragile viewers from the pernicious influence of Latin pop.) It all felt like a parody, but this really happened – a pop music show was treated as a red-alert moment for patriotism in certain circles.

Not to be outdone, folks on the left treated Bad Bunny’s performance as a political touchdown for their team. Prominent Democrats positively fawned over the show, rushing to claim it as a victory for inclusion and a convenient cudgel against their rivals. California Gov. Gavin Newsom went so far as to declare Super Bowl Sunday “Bad Bunny Day” in his state and publicly thanked the artist for representing “America, the beautiful. THANK YOU, BAD BUNNY,” he gushed on social media. Over on Capitol Hill, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cheered the halftime star in Spanish and even drew a personal connection – noting that she and Bad Bunny share the surname Ocasio. “Ocasio gang rise up,” the congresswoman joked, posting a photo of the singer in a jersey emblazoned with her name. (Apparently, a cultural mega-event isn’t complete until it’s been turned into a quirky piece of AOC trivia.)

The enthusiasm only escalated from there. One Texas Democrat, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, circulated a meme of Bad Bunny styled like Obama’s famous 2008 “Hope” poster, captioned “Bad Bunny understood the assignment…”. Even the White House got in on the act: the Vice President’s official account pumped out praise for the show and took shots at conservative critics in the same breath. In the eyes of these Democrats, Bad Bunny’s vibrant, Puerto Rico-infused set wasn’t just entertainment – it was a statement. By their telling, the artist had struck a blow for diversity and tolerance, and any Republican grousing about it was simply proving themselves to be hopelessly out of touch (or outright xenophobic).

To be fair, Bad Bunny’s halftime spectacle was a landmark moment – the first Super Bowl halftime performed entirely in Spanish, loaded with Puerto Rican symbolism from a replica bodega to a traditional casita on stage. It was a celebration of Latino culture on one of the biggest stages in American sports. That is something noteworthy. But the partisan spin machines managed to turn that genuine cultural milestone into a game of one-upmanship: Democrats declaring “we love this, and if you don’t, you’re the problem,” while Republicans declared “we hate this, and if you do, you’re not a real American.” Both sides, in their rush to score points, missed the actual point.

Amid all the political chest-thumping, it’s easy to forget what Bad Bunny himself was trying to convey. His performance ended with a clear call for unity – “Together, we are America” was emblazoned on a football he held, and the show literally spelled out a message about love triumphing over hate. The irony is rich: an artist uses his 12 minutes of fame to preach inclusion and togetherness, and immediately America’s political class rips into their familiar tribal corners. In the end, the halftime show became yet another excuse for the nation’s leaders and loudest voices to do what they do best: turn everything, no matter how apolitical, into ammunition for their ongoing food fight.

Let’s be clear – the absurdity here knows no partisan bounds. Republicans who normally insist they want politics kept out of sports promptly lost their minds over a halftime act because it didn’t fit their vision of “American.” Democrats who constantly bemoan divisiveness couldn’t resist using a pop concert as a chance to dunk on the other team and polish their own progressive bona fides. The hypocrisy is almost as thick as the Super Bowl nacho cheese.

At the end of the day, the 2026 halftime show will be remembered for many things: a groundbreaking Latin music extravaganza, a star-studded stage with cameos from Gaga to Ricky Martin, and yes, the bizarre political tug-of-war it ignited. It highlighted, in technicolor detail, just how everything – even a flashy musical interlude in the middle of a football game – can be spun into a partisan narrative in today’s America. In a functional society, a Super Bowl halftime might simply be a fun water-cooler topic. In our society, it became a proxy battle for the soul of the nation (or so each side would have you believe).

Perhaps we can take a cue from Tom Brady on this one. The GOAT kept it simple: he watched, he enjoyed, he said “Amazing,” and then presumably went on with his evening. No grand declarations about the fate of America. No legislative agendas riding on the beat of a perreo song. Just appreciation for a good show. Wouldn’t it be… refreshing if our political leaders could do the same once in a while? Instead of turning every cultural moment into yet another scrimmage in the endless left vs. right grudge match, maybe they could sit back and enjoy the music – or at least find something more substantive to fight over.

In the meantime, the rest of us are left shaking our heads (and maybe laughing to keep from crying) at the spectacle beyond the spectacle. Bad Bunny wanted to unite people for one night; our politicians saw an opportunity to drive the wedge even deeper. If there’s one thing both parties proved during this halftime show hullabaloo, it’s that no event is too trivial to be weaponized. That’s the real show happening in America, and unfortunately, it runs longer than any Super Bowl – with no halftime break in sight.