Leading up to the Super Bowl, there were many headlines regarding Bad Bunny and what his performance would entail. I expected Bad Bunny to use this platform to make a statement, similar to how Kendrick Lamar did last year, as a response to this tense political climate.
A week prior to the big event, Turning Point USA announced their own version of a rival halftime show. When I heard of this, I was disgusted. It felt like a direct attack to heighten the nation’s divide. Turning Point has been sowing seeds of political division for years, and now it would be on full display, taking the focus away from America’s pastime. Meanwhile, TPUSA stays in the headlines for what might be an even more damaging initiative as they plan to infiltrate high schools in Nebraska, sowing similar seeds of political division in our nation’s youth.
On Sunday February 8, 2026, NFL hosted the first ever full Spanish halftime show. Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance was more than just a regular halftime show. Benito’s message was clear: love is more powerful than hate. Bringing the Puerto Rican and Latinx culture into the most watched American sporting event was a beautiful reminder that America is more than just whiteness, and that culture is to be celebrated. The trailer that Apple Music released prior to Bad Bunny’s performance was a great reminder that his music is for everyone. The trailer was a video of Bad Bunny switching dance partners, with every new partner being a person of a different race, occupation, culture, again emphasizing that anyone can enjoy his music. The Americas (North, Central, and South) are a combination of many Latin cultures, and the United States, specifically, is the melting pot of many cultures. Bad Bunny ended his performance with a beautiful display of every single flag that makes up the Americas. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny lists them off saying, “We are America!”
USA Today reported that Bad Bunny’s halftime show had an average viewership of 128.2 million viewers (making it the 3rd most viewed halftime show), with peak viewership of 137.8 million viewers. The NFL reported that 55% of their social engagement with Bad Bunny’s performance was from the international market.
While people from all over the world were excited for this performance, there was backlash over NFL's choice in musician. Even President Trump had some negative comments to make about the halftime performers. So, in opposition to "Benito Bowl", Turning Point USA decided to announce that they would stream their own halftime show featuring Kid Rock, a problematic MAGA rock-n-roll artist. Their competing halftime show was titled the “All-American Halftime Show,” which ended up having about 6.1 million viewers according to the NY Times. There is no current data on exactly who and where people tuned in from for the TPUSA halftime show. I would assume, however, that the viewers were mostly white Americans because of the organization's demographic. One person who was asked which halftime show they were going to watch, answered Kid Rock because “I don't understand Spanish.” He added, Bad Bunny “isn’t what this country is about.” I saw other interviews where people offered other justifications for watching Kid Rock. Some said they grew up listening to Kid Rock, or that they know more of his songs over Bad Bunny’s. I can’t help but wonder, though, if they were motivated by racism.
Between the two halftime shows, Bad Bunny’s numbers blew Kid Rock’s out of the park. But it raises the question: Is this how American society will continue? Will this persist a divide forever? A Turning Point USA spokesperson told Fox News they plan to have another “All-American” halftime show in 2027 after their “massive” success this year. Will TPUSA’s “All-American” rhetoric work to keep Americans divided by race?
TPUSA Propaganda to Youth and Rural Areas of the U.S.
Nebraska Governor Pillen hosts students for TPUSA "Club America" high school partnership
Photo Credit: Governor Jim Pillen (2026)
On February 10, 2026 Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska announced a partnership with Turning Point USA to bring a Club America chapter to every Nebraska high school. The official website of the Nebraska Governor features a press release about the event.
Pillen hosted an event at his house to make the announcement, which involved local high school students, college students, the TPUSA director, the Chapter President at Creighton University, and the attorney generals. Governor Pillen is a vocal supporter of Charlie Kirk, and during the event he said:
Through this partnership, we get one step closer to Charlie’s vision of seeing Club America in every high school in the nation.
Currently, there are 22 high school chapters in Nebraska. Club America has more than 3,200 chapters nationwide, which is 13% of all high schools in America. Students who attended this event ranged all the way from Ogallala to Lincoln, Nebraska.
The chapter president of Creighton University, Emma Smith, spoke at the event about her experience with TPUSA. She mentioned that Turning Point does not tell her exactly what to think, but more so challenges her way of thinking and being confident in her beliefs.
Politics used to be something I avoided entirely, now it’s a part of my everyday life, not because I have to, but because I want to. Because I care deeply about the direction of this country and I believe my generation has a responsibility to protect what is right, rational and worth preserving.
When I read this quote, I initially thought, wow what a great thing that young people are caring about politics and wanting to get involved. Usually teens and college students are not as engaged with the news or politics, but as you get older you tend to get more involved; so it’s great seeing that people are more engaged at a younger age. But then I remembered all the horrible things that TPUSA and Charlie Kirk stand for.
TPUSA is known for their far-right political rhetoric and Christian nationalism, advertising these ideals to students across college campuses throughout the U.S. and even at some events abroad. Members of TPUSA have expressed racist, homophobic, and transphobic speech while on college campuses. Furthermore, TPUSA provided charter buses to students to attend the January 6th Capitol riot. The founder of TPUSA, Charlie Kirk, has spread across multiple platforms his anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, and misogynistic views. He was very loyal to Trump and his MAGA agenda.
My issue with TPUSA having chapters across Nebraska high schools and spreading their message to students is that they are normalizing hate speech as a political view and brainwashing these young Americans to believe that white nationalism and Christian nationalism are okay. If high school students are surrounded by people who have these hateful beliefs, those beliefs are likely to be influential. And if the majority of high schoolers start joining TPUSA Club America, students who disagree with TPUSA’s message may not be vocal about it. High school is a very weird time socially for kids; being a teenager, navigating the high school social scene can be complicated. And when a majority of kids follow a certain idea or group, it is likely that many will follow suit. Also, some teenagers wouldn’t know any better, so they would think this is what is “normal.” Teens and young adults are very easily influenced by their environment, and exposure to ideas at this age may greatly influence adult beliefs.
My Final Thoughts on the Super Bowl and TPUSA Collaborations
For me, the weirdest part of people’s annoyance is that they “don’t understand Spanish” and thus cannot enjoy Bad Bunny’s music and performance. This felt like a weird microaggression that was hiding their internal racism, because – what do you mean you can’t enjoy the music? Personally, I listen to Bad Bunny all the time and I haven’t understood Spanish since learning it for my language course in high school. I also listen to K-pop artists, Ayra Starr, Kali Uchis, and many other global artists – yet I don’t speak a lick of Korean, or Nigerian, or any of those other languages! Music can be enjoyable even when you do not understand the direct translation of what the artists are saying.
Propaganda is a very effective tool in influencing people, especially young people. Media usage to promote certain political beliefs is more popular than ever because of social media. To see political content, people used to have to do research or watch the news or go out of their way to know what was happening. But now with social media, access to information is so readily available. Whether you choose to see certain “takes,” they may can pop up on your feed anyway driven by the prevailing algorithm. Bits of the news are even more accessible on social media since most young people do not actually go watch cable TV anymore. And if it is not on your feed, it can be sent to you easily as well. My worries of TPUSA being the main influence of the younger Republican generation is that those people will normalize hateful speech and reverse the progress that has been made in America (regarding pro-choice, LGBT+ rights, pro-immigration).
Bad Bunny's message from his Super Bowl performance was needed given the current political climate of the United States. However, Turning Point USA's collaboration with Nebraska makes me worried for the future of the next generation's view on politics and the American divide.
4 comments:
The debates before and after Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance left me feeling overwhelmed, especially when TPUSA announced their alternative halftime show. I firmly believe that TPUSA’s plan to establish a chapter in every high school isn’t really about free speech; it’s about building organizational infrastructure. The quotes from the Nebraska governor and student speaker highlight a chilling reality: joining a school chapter like TPUSA may seem like civic engagement, but it actually channels young people into a specific ideological pipeline. This is especially troubling in the social dynamics of high school where dissent is costly and conformity spreads easily. What would it look like for rural schools to promote political participation without relying on partisan brands?
As a (former) Nebraska high schooler, I find Jim Pillen truly comical and disgusting. My high school wasn’t permitted to have a women’s rights student organization in 2017 because it was “too political” and “politics aren’t for students”. I grew up in a purple suburb of Omaha, and very much remember feeling like Emma Smith did as a young teen – not wanting to be involved in politics at all. Until the first Trump administration, I only every thought about politics when I was told to be quiet in the halls because my school was a polling place. I think that encouraging TPUSA into schools will often find children at particularly vulnerable places in life and encourage them to sow divisions in their school. Additionally, multiple measures that were voted on by Nebraskans were struck down by Pillen and the legislature. They passed a minimum wage decrease for workers under 20 and Nebraska was left off the list that prevents DOJ interference with medical cannabis users. Nebraska is facing a difficult point in its existence, and the governor has shown his unwillingness to do what the people want.
In 2020, Shakira performed at the half time show and while not entirely in Spanish she performed many songs in Spanish. While I’m sure there was backlash when she did this, it was not nearly to the extent of feeling the need to have an entirely separate show. I think this really shows us how divided we have become from even just a few years ago and that no matter the message many people just simply don’t want to listen to the “other side.”
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