{"id":465566,"date":"2026-02-10T09:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T09:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/465566\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T09:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T09:54:10","slug":"aoc-calls-out-jake-paul-for-bad-bunny-fake-american-citizen-comment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/465566\/","title":{"rendered":"AOC Calls Out Jake Paul for Bad Bunny ‘Fake American Citizen’ Comment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tOf the many right-wing tantrums <\/a>thrown over<\/a> Bad Bunny<\/a>\u2019s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance<\/a>, few were goofier than Jake Paul<\/a>\u2019s, who called the Puerto Rican superstar a \u201cfake American citizen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe influencer-turned-boxer\u2019s X post was promptly lit up with a community note, explaining that people from Puerto Rico have been considered U.S. citizens since 1917. But it was the righteous rejoinder from U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a> that put an even finer point on Paul\u2019s hypocrisy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cA \u2018fake American citizen\u2019?\u201d AOC wrote. \u201cDidn\u2019t you MOVE to Puerto Rico to avoid paying your taxes while kids across America go hungry? Meanwhile Benito actually funds low income kids\u2019 access to arts and sports programs, while you defund them. Of course you\u2019re mad. He makes you look small.\u201d<\/p>\n

A \u201cfake American citizen?\u201d<\/p>\n

Didn\u2019t you MOVE to Puerto Rico to avoid paying your taxes while kids across America go hungry?<\/p>\n

Meanwhile Benito actually funds low income kids\u2019 access to arts and sports programs, while you defund them.<\/p>\n

Of course you\u2019re mad. He makes you look small. https:\/\/t.co\/lLfY8pcBLn<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tIndeed, Paul and his brother Logan moved to Puerto Rico in 2021, part of a wave of wealthy foreigners<\/a> looking to take advantage of the island\u2019s tax breaks and incentives. Bad Bunny actually addressed these exemptions, and the displacement caused by rich expats, in the music video\/documentary for his Un Verano Sin Ti<\/a> song, \u201cEl Apag\u00f3n.\u201d<\/a> (Bad Bunny performed this song<\/a>, the title of which translates to \u201cblackout,\u201d at the Super Bowl, too; the segment featured dancers on electric poles, a nod to Puerto Rico\u2019s poorly maintained power grid and frequent blackouts.)<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the time, Logan Paul<\/a> actually tried to call out Bad Bunny for his attacks on the tax exemptions. In a 2022 interview, he said he found it \u201chypocritical because Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican, living in Puerto Rico, who is privately taking advantage of the same tax program that he is publicly condemning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd while Logan gave a reporter an emphatic \u201cNo\u201d when asked if he was excited about Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl performance, he actually took his brother to task over the \u201cfake American citizen\u201d comment (while also offering up some praise for Benito Bowl). \u201cI love my brother but I don\u2019t agree with this,\u201d Logan wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cPuerto Ricans are Americans & I\u2019m happy they were given the opportunity to showcase the talent that comes from the island.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n

\n\tJake also wound up doing some backpedaling of his own, kinda. He changed his X bio to \u201cBenito #1 fan\u201d and insisted<\/a> his \u201cfake citizen\u201d comment was not about the actual citizenship status of Puerto Ricans, but rather people who apparently dare to use their First Amendment rights to criticize America. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c[I]f you\u2019re publicly criticizing ICE who are doing their job and openly hating on America, I\u2019m going to speak on it. Period,\u201d he wrote, adding: \u201cIf you benefit from a country and the platform it gives you, but publicly disrespect it at the same time, that\u2019s what I mean by being a fake citizen.\u201d<\/p>\n