President Trump on Monday knocked the NFL for choosing Bad Bunny, a known critic of his administration, to perform the Super Bowl halftime show.
Trump also again complained about the league’s new kickoff rule during the phone interview with Newsmax.
“I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s like, crazy. And then they blame it on some promoter that they hired to pick up entertainment,” the president said.
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Soon after the NFL announced the Puerto Rican, Spanish-speaking performer was its pick for its hallmark event, Corey Lewandowski, an adviser at the Department of Homeland Security, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement would swarm the game.
However, in the days following, the White House said there was “no tangible” plan in store for agents to patrol at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., where Super Bowl 60 is set to take place in February.
Bad Bunny hosted this weekend’s edition of “Saturday Night Live” and lauded his selection as the Super Bowl performer.
“More than being an accomplishment of mine, it’s an accomplishment for everybody, demonstrating that our mark and our contribution to this country will never be able to be removed or erased by anybody,” he said in Spanish, according to The Guardian.
Bad Bunny then switched over to English and said, “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
Some Republicans have taken shots at the artist for speaking Spanish and encouraged him to only speak in English when he hits the Super Bowl stage.
On Monday, Trump not only criticized the NFL’s decision to welcome Bad Bunny and his fans to the arena, but also hit at the revamped kickoff rules, instituted last year and tweaked before this season.
“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous,” the president said of Bad Bunny’s selection, “and while we’re at it, I’d like to change the kickoff rule, which looks ridiculous.”
“Where the ball is kicked and the ball is floating in the air and everyone’s standing there watching it. It’s ridiculous,” he continued. “It’s not any safer than the regular kickoff. I think it, it looks, it just looks terrible. I think it really demeans football, to be honest with you. It’s a great game, but it demeans football.”
Last month, Trump shared similar disgruntled remarks about the change, alleging it was “at least as dangerous” as the prior regulations and saying “’Sissy’ football is bad for America, and bad for the NFL!”
The league said having the kicking team line up on the opponent’s 40-yard line and not move until the ball lands is safer for players, but some fans have criticized the move.
The president has made his interest in sports apparent during his second administration. He became the first president to attend the Super Bowl earlier this year, and has made appearances at UFC fights, college football rivalry games and golf events over the past few months.
The White House has not shared any plans for him to attend next year’s Super Bowl.