Sen Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) on Tuesday described the choice to have Bad Bunny perform during the NFL’s upcoming Super Bowl LX halftime show as political.

“Why else would you pick, you know, some second-rate musician to play in our greatest sporting event?” Moreno told independent journalist Nicholas Ballasy. “It makes no sense whatsoever. I thought the guy’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ appearance was insulting to the country.”

Moreno said in the video interview posted on TikTok that the game is about “unity and bringing the country together.”

“The NFL made a decision that was clearly partisan, should not have done it,” Moreno continued. “I hope they reverse course and bring a great American performer in there that brings pride into America. That’s what we should be doing. And what they did is they took basically a Trump derangement syndrome pick, which makes no sense whatsoever.”

The NFL announced Bad Bunny, who for years was one of the most-streamed artists on Spotify, as the halftime show performer on Sept. 28. Facing criticism from Trump’s allies in the wake of being chosen, he took to the stage on “Saturday Night Live” last weekend to joke about how everyone, “even Fox News,” was happy about his selection.

Conservative pundits have also gone after his political views and the fact that most of Bad Bunny’s songs are sung in Spanish. Worried about his fans being targeted by federal immigration enforcement, Bad Bunny tours outside the mainland United States.

White House officials have suggested ICE officials would be at the Super Bowl because of Bad Bunny’s performance, though White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “no tangible plan” exists for ICE to be at the Super Bowl.

“I don’t know who he is,” President Trump told Newsmax in a Monday night phone interview about Bad Bunny. “I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s like, crazy. And then they blame it on some promoter that they hired to pick up entertainment.”

Bad Bunny is the latest accomplished musician to be asked to perform during the Super Bowl halftime show. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez performed in 2020, while Kendrick Lamar performed as a solo act in 2024 and in 2022 alongside Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and Eminem.