{"id":462255,"date":"2026-02-08T18:58:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T18:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/462255\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T18:58:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T18:58:15","slug":"gavin-newsom-declares-bad-bunny-day-ahead-of-super-bowl-sunday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/462255\/","title":{"rendered":"Gavin Newsom Declares Bad Bunny Day Ahead Of Super Bowl Sunday"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWith all the threats of ICE agents<\/a> at the Super Bowl<\/a> on Sunday, and Donald Trump<\/a> and his MAGA minions vowing to change the channel when Bad Bunny<\/a> hits the halftime stage in sunny Santa Clara for an all-Spanish-language performance, Gavin Newsom<\/a> on Saturday gave the Grammy winner a whole day of his own. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAdditionally, the Caifornia governor took a swipe at POTUS pal Kid Rock<\/a>\u2018s career woes and the conservative alternative halftime show<\/a> planned for the big game between the Seattle Seahawks and underdogs the New England Patriots.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI am declaring tomorrow in California as \u2018Bad Bunny Day\u2019 when Bad Bunny performs at the big game in the Golden State with his soothing, beautiful voice, and his very nice looks,\u201d revealed a very tongue-in-cheek posting Saturday from Newsom\u2019s press office feed. <\/p>\n

\n\tLong trolling Trump in what many view as the lead-up to a 2028 White House bid by the two-term Democrat, Newsom\u2019s missive comes in all caps and with the over-the-top self-aggrandizement that is common to POTUS himself \u2014 which is often the point. It is also no joke on another level, as February 8 really is officially \u201cBad Bunny Day\u201d in California.<\/p>\n

AS MANY PEOPLE KNOW, I AM A TREMENDOUS LOVER OF \u201cTHE SPANISH.\u201d IT IS A BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY MANY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE IN THE GREAT STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND ACROSS THE WORLD. I AM ALSO A HUGE FAN OF PUERRRRRRRTO RICO. THAT IS WHY I AM DECLARING TOMORROW IN CALIFORNIA AS \u201cBAD\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) February 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tNot wanting to see any of his fanbase subjected to harassment, abduction or deportation by DHS, Puerto Rican-born and immigration-rights advocate Bad Bunny aka Benito Antonio Mart\u00ednez Ocasio has said the historic <\/a>Super Bowl LX<\/a> gig will likely be his only show of the year in the domestic U.S. If there was any doubt where the chart-topping \u201cKing of Latin Trap,\u201d who is one of the most streamed artists in the world, is coming from politically, Bad Bunny made it clear with a sharp \u201c\u2018ICE out! \u2026We\u2019re not savage, we\u2019re not animals, we\u2019re not aliens, we are humans, and we are Americans<\/a>\u201d speech at the Grammys last weekend.<\/p>\n

\n\tThough he gave the traditional pregame interview to the Super Bowl broadcaster this year, Trump will not be at the NBC-airing Super Bowl this weekend, despite his friendship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Begging off because of the distance from the East Coast to Cali (and maybe the jeers and boos he\u2019d likely receive on live TV) and having called Bunny\u2019s selection \u201cridiculous,\u201d Trump has said he will watch the game on TV. Newsom, in his last year as governor, plans to be among the more than 68,000 fans in the home stadium of the San Francisco 49ers.<\/p>\n

\n\tEarlier this week without naming any guest stars, recent Grammy Album of the Year winner <\/a>Bunny said of his plans for the show:<\/a> \u201cI really want people to have fun. It\u2019s gonna be a huge party. I want to bring what people can expect from me, and a lot from my culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTo that, exclaiming that he is a \u201ctremendous lover of the Spanish\u201d and \u201ca huge fan of Puerrrrrrrto Rico,\u201d Newsom stuck it to Team Trump a little more Saturday with a near pitch-perfect impression of the current POTUS: \u201cWe love Bad Bunny! He is nearly as \u2018hot\u2019 as me, which is a big compliment, because there is nobody \u201chotter.\u201d Happy Bad Bunny Day, America.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a similar vein, Apple<\/a> boss Tim Cook<\/a>, who has made a side gig in placating and gifting Trump over the past year, also took to social media this weekend to praise Bunny.<\/p>\n

\n\tNot that CEO Cook is entirely altruistic in risking Trump\u2019s wrath by hanging out with the singer. Apple Music<\/a> has been the sponsor of the Super Bowl halftime show since 2023; performers for the big stage are selected by Jay-Z\u2019s Roc Nation in partnership with the NFL<\/a>. Well known to pay lip service to social movements and causes, the Roger Goodell<\/a>-run league has long sought to expand it reach among Latinos, which likely plays a part in why they backed and continue to back Bunny <\/a>for the 2026 show despite the MAGA blowback.<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking of said blowback, part of the reaction to the halftime show starring Bunny, whose American citizenship has been incorrectly questioned, is a competing \u201cAll-American Halftime Show\u201d from the Charlie Kirk-founded Turning Point USA. The much more low-wattage other halftime show will be available on TPUSA\u2019s social feeds, Real America\u2019s Voice, OAN and elsewhere. Having mockingly banned Kid Rock from the state in September last year, the alternative show gave Newsom a nice stick with which to again knock the \u201cangry\u201d country rapper around.<\/p>\n

KID ROCK IS BANNED FROM CALIFORNIA. AND NOW HE IS BEING BANNED IN MORE PLACES. TERRIBLE MUSIC. WHY IS HE SO ANGRY? https:\/\/t.co\/AZWkwXb2w2<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) February 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tScheduled to take place at the exact same time as the NFL<\/a> halftime shindig, the so-called \u201cAll-American\u201d show comes as Rock aka Bob Ritchie finds the July 25-26 shows of his MAGA intended \u201cRock the Country\u201d festival now canceled as one act after another bailed over the politics of it all. No word on how much of the rest of the now seven-city tour will go forward.<\/p>\n

\n\tBTW: Kid Rock isn\u2019t actually banned from California in case you are wondering.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso, up in part against the NBC-airing Winter Olympics from Italy, the sure to be well-watched Super Bowl LX officially starts at 6:30 p.m. ET\/3:30 p.m. PT<\/a> after several hours of pregame festivities. The Seahawks-Patriots matchup will be broadcast live on\u00a0NBC (them again), stream live on\u00a0Peacock\u00a0and be available via a Spanish-language broadcast on Telemundo and Universo.<\/p>\n