People fuming after Donald Trump ‘picks who will win Super Bowl’

Although sports fans are usually loud and proud about the team they support, the same can't be said for Donald Trump.

The US president took to social media ahead of the battle between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks to reveal who he reckons will take home the Lombardi Trophy.

However, he stopped short of actually stating the name of the team he thinks will triumph in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday (8 February) - and sports fans aren't happy that he left them hanging.

Trump is giving this year's NFL championship game a miss, despite him attending last year's Super Bowl, as he said it's 'just too far away' for him.

"I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter," he told the New York Post last month.

The commander-in-chief also admitted that he isn't a fan of the music stars taking to the stage, seemingly referencing Green Day's opening performance and Bad Bunny's halftime show.

"I’m anti-them," Trump said, adding: "I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible."

But before the pivotal NFL game kicked off on Sunday, the president shared his excitement for the Patriots and Seahawks clash in a video message shared to X by the White House.

In the clip, he said: "I have a feeling this is going to be a great Super Bowl. I've watched all season, I've seen these two teams just win, win.

"I see two great quarterbacks. Young, great quarterbacks. It's going to be a fantastic Super Bowl and everybody wants to hear who I pick... and, I'll tell you what..."

Much to the disappointment of social media users who wanted to hear his prediction, the video then cuts out, leaving viewers high and dry.

In response to the clip, one person said: "Oh come on!"

Another wrote: "Bro picked nothing," as a third joked: "That was rude."

A fourth added: "I’m actually so interested in his pick," while a fifth then complimented Trump's teasing, saying: "Sopranos ending. Nicely done."

Another suggested the president was 'taking the cautious route this year', writing: "He's praising both sides as strong teams and focusing on the standout quarterback narratives instead of picking favourites."

While speaking to NBC Nightly News' Tom Llamas earlier in the week, he explained that he was going to avoid sharing predictions for the outcome of the Super Bowl, as it could land him 'in big trouble'.

When asked who he thought would triumph at the Levi's Stadium, Trump said: "Well, I watch them both during the season and New England's amazing because they've had a second coming.

"Seattle has an amazing comeback-quarterback and the other one is just an amazing quarterback.

"Seattle set an amazing season and New England has a great tradition of winning. Bob Kraft's in a fantastic job. You know, the whole thing is really it's going to be very exciting."

He added: "I like both areas of our country very much. I better not make any predictions. You get yourself in big trouble."

Donald Trump and Bad Bunny’s ‘beef’ explained

Bad Bunny has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and his policies over the years, particularly regarding immigration and his native Puerto Rico. Let’s take a look at where it all began…

Hurricane Maria devastates Puerto Rico

In 2017, the federal government faced backlash for its slow and disorganised response to the aftermath of the storm, which caused widespread destruction, power outages and thousands of deaths.

During a benefit concert, Bad Bunny donned a T-shirt reading ‘¿Eres Twittero o Presidente?’ which translates to ‘Are You a Tweeter or President?’

Seven years later, he released the track ‘Una Velita’, which appeared to hit out at the Trump administration’s handling of the disaster.

The translated lyrics say: “They let 5,000 people die / And we will never forget that.”

Bad Bunny endorses Kamala Harris

During the run-up to the 2024 US election, Bad Bunny showed his support for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

The musician posted a clip of the vice president’s plans for Puerto Rico not long after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to the territory as a ‘floating island of garbage’ at a Trump rally.

A Trump campaign spokesperson later said: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

‘NUEVAYoL’ music video throws shade at Trump

In the music video for ‘NUEVAYoL’, released on the Fourth of July last year, Bad Bunny appeared to take a not-so-subtle swipe at the US president.

Following a shot of a Puerto Rican flag draped on the Statue of Liberty, a voice that sounds suspiciously similar to Trump can be heard saying: “I made a mistake. I want to apologise to the immigrants in America. I mean the United States – I know America is the whole continent.

“I want to say that this country is nothing without the immigrants. This country is nothing without Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Cubans…”

Bad Bunny skips US on world tour

Bad Bunny opted to leave mainland US out of his world tour due to concerns over ICE following immigration crackdowns amid Trump’s return to office.

“There were many reasons why I didn't show up in the US, and none of them were out of hate,” he told I-D magazine in September. “But there was the issue of – like, [expletive] ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it's something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”

NFL announces Bad Bunny as Super Bowl halftime act

Moments before the Super Bowl announcement, Bad Bunny tweeted in Spanish that after ‘thinking these last few days, I think I'll do one date in the United States’.

In a statement, he said his performance would be for ‘my people, my culture, and our history’.

Despite excitement from fans and the NFL calling the decision ‘carefully thought through’, the move sparked backlash from critics unhappy about a Spanish-speaking artist headlining the biggest American sporting event of the year.

Seemingly forgetting that Puerto Rico is in fact a US territory, one conservative commentator labelled Bad Bunny ‘anti-American’ while petitions to replace him were created, and Turning Point USA, the right-wing organisation founded by the late Charlie Kirk, even announced it would be hosting a rival halftime show.

‘I’ve never heard of him’

Trump also weighed in on the global music icon performing at the Super Bowl, telling Newsmax's Greg Kelly: “I’ve never heard of him.

“I don’t know who he is… I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s crazy. And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment — I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”

Bad Bunny shuts down critics on Saturday Night Live

During his SNL opening monologue in October, Bad Bunny jokingly addressed conservative backlash over his upcoming halftime show.

“You might not know this, but I’m doing the Super Bowl halftime show and I’m very happy,” he said. “I think everyone is happy about it - even Fox News.”

After delivering a heartfelt message in Spanish, he switched back to English and told viewers ‘if you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn’.

Trumps benches himself from Super Bowl

In January, the POTUS confirmed that he would not be attending the Super Bowl while slamming the performers.

“I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible,” he told the New York Post of Bad Bunny and Green Day - another longtime critic of his.

However, Trump insisted this was not the reason for his absence, adding that ‘it’s just too far away’.

Bad Bunny calls out ICE in Grammys speech

Bad Bunny made history at the 2026 Grammys by becoming the first artist to win Album of the Year for a Spanish-language release.

He also picked up two other awards and used his time on stage to share a message of hope amid nationwide protests against the actions of ICE.

“Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say ‘ICE OUT’. We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we’re Americans,” the rapper said, before adding: “The only thing that's more powerful than hate is love.”