Last fall, Donald Trump said he was unfamiliar with Bad Bunny, but he nevertheless considered the entertainer’s role as the Super Bowl halftime performer to be “absolutely ridiculous.” Months later, during the game, the president went further.
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” the Republican wrote online, three years after making a similar declaration about Rihanna’s halftime show. Trump went on to complain that Bad Bunny’s performance was “an affront to the Greatness of America” and “a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country,” adding, “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying.” (The Puerto Rican superstar performed largely in Spanish.)
The presidential whining was annoying but short-lived. His party’s interest in the halftime show, however, is ongoing.
The day after the game, for example, Republican Rep. Randy Fine described the performance as “illegal” and demanded “dramatic action” from the Federal Communications Commission. (The far-right Florida congressman highlighted lyrics of a Bad Bunny song, many of which the pop star did not perform during the show.)
On Monday night, Republican Rep. Andy Ogles went further, condemning the performance as “pure smut,” filled with “indecent acts” that are “illegal to be displayed on public airways.” The Tennessee congressman added, “That is why I am requesting that the Energy and Commerce Committee launch a formal congressional inquiry into the National Football League and NBC immediately for their prior knowledge, deliberate approval, and facilitation of this indecent broadcast. American culture will not be mocked or corrupted without consequence.”
On Tuesday, Republican Rep. Mark Alford of Missouri didn’t just call for a congressional inquiry; he appeared on a conservative outlet called Real America’s Voice and said House Republicans are already “investigating” the Super Bowl halftime show.
He added that this could be “much worse than the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction,” referring to a controversial Super Bowl halftime show from 22 years ago that the nation managed to overcome.
Alford didn’t elaborate on how, exactly, GOP lawmakers are “investigating” the performance, and there’s been no official confirmation that such a probe is underway.
But the complaints are a timely reminder that while House Republicans continue to struggle to do actual work, they apparently find it easy to pursue self-indulgent culture war crusades.
