White House Press Secretary's Secret Bad Bunny Tune Sparks Irony Debate
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt appears to have a hidden appreciation for Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, despite her recent public criticisms of the artist. This contradiction has emerged through careful examination of her social media activity and official statements.
The Instagram Revelation
Weeks before publicly condemning the Super Bowl halftime performer, Leavitt crafted a New Year's Eve post for her Instagram account titled '2025 End Now.' The six-second mashup clearly features Bad Bunny's most popular Spotify track, DTMF, playing over personal imagery. The video shows Leavitt in various settings including the Oval Office with her son Niko, the press secretary at the 2025 Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, and enjoying Washington DC's Cherry Blossom Festival with family.
Observant commenters quickly noticed the musical choice, with one posting the now-famous meme of Bad Bunny learning he had won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. Another wrote: 'Bad Bunny playing for the recap is the funniest thing I've seen so far this year. And we're only 19 days in. She lowkey loves him like the rest of us.' The White House has not responded to requests for comment regarding this apparent contradiction.
Public Criticism and Political Context
Publicly, Leavitt has positioned herself as anything but a Bad Bunny supporter. This month alone, she has twice shared criticism of the artist. Following Bad Bunny's Grammy Awards performance where he told the audience 'ICE out' and declared 'We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans,' Leavitt offered a sharp rebuke.
During a February 3 press gaggle, Leavitt responded: 'I think it's very ironic and frankly sad to see celebrities who live in gated communities, with private security with millions of dollars to spend protecting themselves, trying to demonize law enforcement, public servants who work for the United States government to enforce our nation's laws.'
Her comments came just ten days after Customs and Border Protection agents killed Minneapolis man Alex Pretti, which sparked widespread protests against former President Donald Trump's mass deportation policies. Leavitt further argued that 'you didn't hear this same type of uproar from celebrities in Hollywood when the previous administration allowed an invasion of our nation's borders and allowed innocent women and girls like Jocelyn Nungaray and Laken Riley to be killed, raped, and murdered at the hands of people who should have never been in our country in the first place.'
Super Bowl Controversy and Conservative Reactions
As the Super Bowl approached, Leavitt was asked whether Trump would watch Bad Bunny's halftime performance or switch to Turning Point USA's alternative show featuring Kid Rock. She stated from the podium: 'I think the president would much prefer a Kid Rock performance over Bad Bunny. I must say that.'
When Bad Bunny was first announced as the halftime performer in October 2025, Leavitt was more guarded, saying she had her 'own feelings' about the Puerto Rican artist performing but kept them private. The TPUSA event was branded the 'all-American' halftime show, despite Puerto Rico being part of the United States and Bad Bunny therefore being American.
Some conservative commentators complained about Bad Bunny singing in Spanish during the performance. Megyn Kelly called it an insult to 'the heartland,' stating: 'That kind of football is ours. The halftime show and everything around it needs to stay quintessentially American. Not Spanish. Not Muslim. Not anything other than good old-fashioned American apple pie. There should be a meatloaf, maybe some fried chicken.'
However, not all conservatives shared this view. Meghan McCain, daughter of the late GOP Senator John McCain, fiercely defended Bad Bunny's performance on social media, writing: 'Been listening to nothing but Bad Bunny since the Super Bowl. Congrats to all the lunatics who have inadvertently turned me into the biggest Bad Bunny stan on the planet now.'
The contradiction between Leavitt's personal Instagram music choice and her public political stance has sparked discussions about authenticity and the complex relationship between personal taste and political positioning in Washington's highest circles.
