Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is shutting down Jake Paul‘s assessment that Bad Bunny isn’t a real United States citizen after the YouTuber dissed the Puerto Rican superstar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday (Feb. 8).
The morning after the Big Game, the New York representative replied to an incendiary post from Paul on X — in which he declared he’d be “purposefully” turning off the official halftime programming due to Benito being a “fake American citizen” who “publicly hates America” — and wrote Monday (Feb. 9), “a ‘fake American citizen?’”
“Didn’t you MOVE to Puerto Rico to avoid paying your taxes while kids across America go hungry?” AOC continued. “Meanwhile Benito actually funds low income kids’ access to arts and sports programs, while you defund them.”
The Bronx native closed out with: “Of course you’re mad. He makes you look small.”
Billboard has reached out to the boxer for comment on AOC’s reaction.
Paul was one of countless conservative figures upset with the choice of Bad Bunny for this year’s Super Bowl headliner, with President Donald Trump calling the performance a “slap in the face” to America, and Turning Point USA going as far as hosting an alternate “All-American” mid-game concert on Sunday. Many have also run with the narrative that the six-time Grammy winner is un-American, despite him being a legal U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico, which is an unincorporated territory of the United States.
But after receiving backlash for his “fake American citizen” comment — including from his own brother, Logan Paul — Jake backpedaled. “To clarify: I wasn’t calling anyone a ‘fake citizen’ because they’re from Puerto Rico,” he wrote Monday morning. “I live in Puerto Rico, and I love Puerto Rico … But if you’re publicly criticizing ICE who are doing their job and openly hating on America, I’m going to speak on it.”
Shortly afterward, the professional boxer — whose Boxing Bullies charity has renovated 24 U.S. gyms and aims to make boxing more accessible for kids across the country — posted, “Guys i love bad bunny idk what happened on my twitter last night ?? wtf.”
It’s still unclear where Jake and likeminded conservatives got the impression that Benito “openly” hates America. The musician has only ever said the opposite, and at the end of his halftime performance — which paid homage to his Puerto Rican roots while welcoming guests Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin — he held up a football displaying the message, “Together we are America.”
Bad Bunny has criticized ICE, but only sparingly. In September, he explained to i-D that there “were many reasons why” he didn’t schedule any tour dates in the U.S., but “none of them were out of hate.”
“There was the issue of like, f–king ICE could be outside [my concert],” he elaborated at the time. “And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
And, a week prior to the Super Bowl, the hitmaker said while accepting best música urbana album fpr Debí Tirar Más Fotos, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say ICE out!”
“We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we are not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans,” he added from the award show’s stage. “The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love.”
