Why Trump’s Super Bowl no-show speaks volumes about his presidency | Opinion
A presidential appearance at a major event once symbolized unity — a rare chance for Americans of all stripes to see their leader and feel a sense of shared belonging, even across party lines.
Who could forget President George W. Bush throwing out the first pitch at Game 3 of the 2001 World Series? Just weeks after 9/11, Bush strode to the mound and threw a strike to thunderous applause at Yankee Stadium in New York. Even though the state of New York and New York City voted in larger numbers for Bush’s opponent in the 2000 presidential election, Bush embraced the idea that the president was the leader of all Americans, not simply those who voted for him.
That was only 24 years ago, but it seems much further away given that the patriotic interpretation of a public president is dead under the current occupant of the White House.
Instead, Donald Trump turns every public moment into an exercise in division, drawing bold lines between those who serve him and those who dare to question him. His decision to skip Super Bowl LX, the grandest stage in American sports, is just the latest example of this divisive agenda.
“It’s just too far away,” Trump explained. “I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter.”
Trump also criticized musical acts Green Day and Bad Bunny, scheduled to perform at the game.
“I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible,” Trump said.
That’s a rich comment coming from Mr. Trump, who is once again consumed by a toxic “us vs. them” mentality that has poisoned our country.
It’s his ego that keeps him from traveling to Santa Clara to watch the Seattle Seahawks play the New England Patriots.
A man of certain people
A Super Bowl in a region like the Bay Area and the state of California is not where Trump wants to be because he lacks the sense of duty and patriotism that President Bush showed when he visited New York during the 2001 World Series. Bush understood that Americans get to vote for whoever they want and oppose the occupant of the White House, whoever it might be.
It’s part of being a free country, but Trump can’t handle that. He openly admits to “hating” his opponents. He has never been, nor will he ever be, a true leader of the United States because he doesn’t believe in the freedoms of our country. His fragile ego can’t take the thought of how loudly he would get booed at the Super Bowl.
Trump’s sporting loyalties are revealing. College football thrives in the South and Midwest—the heart of Trump’s political base, where he can reliably expect enthusiasm and adoration. The Super Bowl, by contrast, is the rare event that truly brings Americans together—a national celebration watched by millions of people from every region, background, and belief. But inclusivity has never been part of Trump’s playbook.
The division Trump promotes is evident in his deliberate choice to spend the majority of his appearances reinforcing the notion that he is president of only a select few, not the nation as a whole.
This isn’t just about sports — it’s a microcosm of his governing philosophy: energize the base, ignore or even antagonize the rest, and deepen the country’s divides for political gain.
Why is Trump anti-Bad Bunny and anti-Green Day? Because both acts have directly or indirectly rejected Trump’s divisiveness, and he just can’t handle that. Last year, Bad Bunny, a native of Puerto Rico whose given name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, announced that he wouldn’t tour the United States out of concern that his Latino fans would be targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Green Day, a power rock band from the Bay Area, have long been critical of Trump’s lack of leadership.
Trump might still appear in a pregame video, as he did last year, but the message remains clear: he only cares about the parts of the country that bend to his will and echo his worldview. The rest are dismissed or demonized, written off as unworthy of his time or attention.
America feels more divided than ever — especially following tragedies like the killing of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti. Trump’s blatant choice to insulate himself among followers who never challenge his views only deepens those wounds. This isn’t just a matter of optics; it’s a blow to the country’s moral fabric, undermining the very idea of a president who governs for all.
For Trump, it’s adoration or nothing. That zero-sum mentality keeps this country locked in a perpetual state of conflict, when what we need most is leadership that seeks common ground.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Why Trump’s Super Bowl no-show speaks volumes about his presidency | Opinion."