Trump will not attend Super Bowl because it’s ‘too far away’, he tells NY Post
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US President Donald Trump and daughter Ivanka Trump (left) attending 2025's Super Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana.
PHOTO: AFP
- Trump will not attend the Super Bowl on February 8, citing distance as the key reason in a New York Post interview.
- Trump criticised the NFL's choice of Bad Bunny and Green Day to perform due to political reasons.
- Despite his criticism, distance is the reason for Trump's no-show, not the musicians' presence.
AI generated
NEW YORK – US President Donald Trump will not attend the National Football League’s (NFL) Super Bowl on Feb 8 because the game, which will be played at Levi’s Stadium in northern California, is “just too far away”, he said in a New York Post interview published on Jan 24.
Mr Trump, who told the newspaper he would attend the game if the trip were a “little bit shorter”, became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl when he attended the 2025 game, which took place in New Orleans.
He has since turned up at other major sporting events, including 2025’s Daytona 500 NASCAR race and this week’s college football national championship, both of which took place in Florida, just a short flight from Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, where he frequently stays at the weekend.
He also attended golf’s Ryder Cup in September, when it took place in Bethpage, New York.
Mr Trump told the New York Post he was displeased the NFL championship game would feature half-time entertainment by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny and a pre-game performance by punk rockers Green Day.
The President has called the NFL’s selection of Bad Bunny as the game’s featured half-time act “absolutely ridiculous” and his supporters widely panned the Spanish-rapping musician.
Green Day has written songs with lyrics critical of the “MAGA agenda” of the Make America Great Again movement popularised by Mr Trump.
Lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong has spoken publicly in support of those protesting against the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies.
Despite his criticism, Mr Trump said the musicians’ presence at the game has nothing to do with his decision to stay away.
Mr Donald Trump is unhappy that the game will feature half-time entertainment by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny (left) and a pre-game performance by punk rockers Green Day.
PHOTOS: EPA, ST FILE
The NFL and representatives for Bad Bunny and Green Day did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Super Bowl has been the most-viewed event in the United States every year for decades.
The 2025 game averaged nearly 130 million viewers in the US and 62.5 million international viewers, according to the NFL. REUTERS
