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Let me say two things right off the bat:
I don’t speak Spanish
I have never heard a Bad Bunny song before Sunday night
Which makes me just like Donald Trump!
But we had VERY different reactions to the Super Bowl half time show. (If you missed it, watch it here.)
My reaction? It made me smile. And when I looked at my wife and younger son — the older was at a party with his friends — they were smiling too.
I didn’t know what exact words Bad Bunny was saying but I got the message: Joy.
A joy that comes from celebrating all of the distinct cultures that come together and make this great melting pot called America.
The message on the Jumbotron as he performed — “The only thing more power than hate is love” — seemed like one we could ALL do well to remember.
President Trump didn’t see it that way.
The second Bad Bunny finished his performance, Trump posted this on Truth Social:
“Nobody” understands what Bad Bunny was singing? I mean, according to the Census Bureau, there are 41 million Americans who speak Spanish as their first language at home!
And the dancing is disgusting? I suppose to see true family values represented you had to watch the Turning Point USA alternative half time show featuring that steward of morality Kid Rock.
(Sidebar: Trump had said he wouldn’t even watch the Bad Bunny half time performance. Whoops!)
Here’s what is most remarkable to me: For Republicans to win — or at least avoid disaster — in the coming midterms, they are going to need Latino voters. In Texas. In Florida. In Arizona. In California. And it lots of other places too.
Why then turn this joyous Bad Bunny performance into a political fight?
The short answer is that Trump can’t help himself. He is, at heart, a guy who watches TV and pops off with his opinions. He can’t turn that off — even as president.
But this attack on Bad Bunny should be yet one more nail in the coffin of the notion that Trump is always playing politics at a higher level than mere mortals can understand.
This is bad politics. It’s a dumb fight to pick with a massive community whose votes you need.
He ain’t playing three-dimensional chess. Hell, he might not even be playing checkers at this point.
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