President Donald Trump’s sharp criticism of Puerto Rican music star Bad Bunny and his Super Bowl halftime performance has unsettled several Republican Hispanic strategists, politicians, and business leaders. They warn the remarks could further weaken Trump’s standing with Latino voters ahead of the November congressional elections.
Trump attacked the halftime show, including complaining that much of the performance was in Spanish. His comments came despite the fact that Latino voters played a key role in his 2024 re-election victory.
Latino Support Shows Signs of Strain
Hispanic voters were central to the coalition that helped Trump return to the White House, even after controversial campaign rhetoric. This included a moment at one of Trump’s rallies when a comedian referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
However, Latino support has since softened. Rising prices, frustration over tariffs, and the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies have caused growing dissatisfaction among some Hispanic voters.
Republican leaders now fear that attacks on a globally popular Latino artist and on a halftime show widely viewed as a rare celebration of Latino culture on prime-time television could be politically damaging. This concern is heightened as Republicans fight to protect their narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Several competitive House races are underway in districts with large Hispanic populations, including California, Arizona, and Colorado.
‘More Damage Than Good,’ Says Former Trump Official
Vianca Rodriguez, a former Trump administration official who served as deputy Hispanic communications director for the Republican National Committee during the 2024 campaign, called the criticism a mistake.
“It’s going to do us more damage than good,” Rodriguez said.
“That shouldn’t have been a battle to have been picked culturally.”
Rodriguez, who is Puerto Rican, said she continues to support Trump but believes the issue was mishandled.
Trump’s Harsh Words on the Halftime Show
Trump criticized Bad Bunny’s February 8 halftime performance as “an affront to the Greatness of America” and a “slap in the face” to the country. On social media, he wrote:
“Nobody understands a word this guy is saying,”
He also described the dancing as “disgusting” and unsuitable for children.
Even some long-time critics of Trump were surprised by the outburst.
“To see them doubling down on alienating the single most critical constituency they need for survival is beyond belief,” said Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist and expert on Latino voting trends.
Polls Show Declining Enthusiasm
Hispanics make up the largest ethnic minority in the U.S., accounting for about one-fifth of the population. According to the Pew Research Center, Trump won 48% of the Hispanic vote in 2024, the highest share ever for a Republican presidential candidate. This was up from 36% in 2020.
However, a November Pew survey of more than 5,000 Latino voters showed Trump’s support slipping. He was down 12 percentage points among voters who supported him in 2024. While 93% of Latino Trump voters approved of his performance at the start of his second term in January 2025, that number dropped to 81% ten months later.
White House Defends Trump’s Record
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson did not answer questions directly about Trump’s declining Latino support. Instead, she said Trump earned historic Latino backing in 2024:
“based on his promises to enforce our immigration laws, deport criminal illegal aliens, and tackle Joe Biden’s inflation crisis. He is now fulfilling those promises.”
Business Leaders Voice Economic Concerns
Javier Palomarez, president of the U.S. Hispanic Business Council, said many Latino small business owners feel Trump has failed to reduce prices and that the Bad Bunny remarks could deepen their disappointment.
“It’s just another illustration of a president who is woefully shooting himself in the foot at every chance he possibly gets,” Palomarez said.
He added that before the 2024 election, 70% of council members believed Trump was best suited to fix the economy. That figure has now dropped to 40%.
Ramiro Cavazos, president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said Latino-owned businesses in Minneapolis have reported a 70% decline in sales since immigration crackdowns began there.
Mixed Reactions Among Hispanic Conservatives
Some Hispanic conservatives told Reuters they were not personally offended by Trump’s comments. They noted that Bad Bunny’s music is not universally popular within the diverse Latino community. Still, many said Trump should be more careful with his words.
“Everybody agrees that we wish he would hold his mouth and hold his temper and be less impulsive,” said Denise Galvez Turros, who co-founded Latinas for Trump in 2016.
She defended Trump’s criticism, saying Bad Bunny’s use of Puerto Rican slang and unclear pronunciation can make his lyrics difficult to understand.
GOP Plans Outreach to Latino Districts
A source close to the White House said Trump needs to reconnect with Latino and Black voters who were part of his winning coalition. The source warned the Bad Bunny controversy could speed up a shift back toward Democratic candidates.
According to the source, Trump plans to travel to border districts and areas with large Latino populations as part of the midterm election strategy.
Rodriguez said Republicans should expand the use of Spanish-language spokespeople, especially when explaining immigration raids and targeting Latino voters.
“My biggest advice would be for them to not repeat the same mistakes as with the Democrats, who lost a big segment of the Latino population for a reason, because they felt like they were being taken for granted,” she said.
