President Donald Trump was missing from Super Bowl 2026, prompting many viewers to ask where he was. Unlike last year, when he attended the championship game in New Orleans, the president chose to skip this season’s event for a specific reason.
Is Donald Trump at Super Bowl?
No, Donald Trump is not at Super Bowl 2026. Despite attending the previous year’s event in New Orleans, the president did not make the trip to Santa Clara, California. His decision came down to logistics. In a January interview with the New York Post, Trump explained his reasoning plainly: “It’s just too far away. I would. I’ve gotten great hands for the Super Bowl, they like me,” Trump told the outlet. “I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter.”
Although he skipped the game in person, the president still acknowledged the event officially. In a presidential message, he sent his best wishes to the athletes and coaches, calling the Super Bowl “a uniquely American tradition.”
Moreover, even without a physical presence at the game, Trump made his voice heard regarding the Super Bowl 2026 festivities, particularly the halftime show. He publicly criticized the selection of Bad Bunny as the performer, calling him “one of the worst EVER” in a recent Truth Social post. This criticism followed Bad Bunny’s political statements at the Grammys, where the singer said, “ICE out.”
The White House confirmed the president’s disapproval. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, “I think the president would much prefer a Kid Rock performance over Bad Bunny, I must say that.” This sentiment aligned with conservative group Turning Point USA’s announcement of an alternative halftime show featuring Kid Rock.
All in all, despite Trump’s long-standing friendship with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Super Bowl 2026 proceeded without the president in attendance, with distance ultimately keeping him away.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
