Trump advised to skip Super Bowl so he isn’t booed by followers as approval scores nosedive
He became the first sitting US President to attend the Super Bowl when he rocked up to the event last year in New Orleans, but he is less keen to travel to California for this year’s game
Trump is worried about being booed, it is claimed(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Donald Trump is skipping the Super Bowl after being warned by his aides that fans were like to “boo him aggressively”, it is claimed. The Orange Manbaby, 79, was the first sitting US President to attend the NFL’s showpiece match last year.
And he previously claimed he chose to shun this year’s event – to be held in the Democrat stronghold of Santa Clara, California – as it’s too far away and he “can’t stand” half-time show headliners Bad Bunny and Green Day, who have been critical of him in the past.
But source have claimed he was told to avoid the event in case as there was a strong chance fans would boo him and it would spark global headlines and see the internet flooded with viral videos.
A source told US news outlet Zeteo: “In recent months, several aides and advisers to the president quietly determined that the chances were rather high of Trump getting booed ‘big league’ at the Super Bowl.”
Trump attended last year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans which saw the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs, who were cheered on by their tight end’s pop star fiancée Taylor Swift.
And he previously claimed he would have got a good reception had he attended this year’s event, being held on Sunday, February 8.
But White House officials were worried footage of him being booed – in front of an estimated US tv audience of 123.7 million viewers and an international audience of 62.5 million – would “create a wealth of viral video clips and media coverage” they’d prefer to avoid.
Trump last month slammed the choice of performers booked for the game’s iconic half-time show, telling the New York Post: “I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.”
He added: “It’s just too far away. I would. I’ve [gotten] great hands [at] the Super Bowl. They like me. I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter.”
Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny was among stars at the Grammys calling for the end of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that has been carrying out the majority of raids and arrests.
During a politically-charged acceptance speech for Best Musica Urbana Album at Sunday night’s Grammys, he said: “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out. The only thing that’s more powerful than hate is love.”
And Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong often tweaks the lyrics to hit single American Idiot during live shows from “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda” to “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda.”
The decision not to attend comes as Trump’s approval ratings have taken a nosedive after recent political rows, including threatening to annex Greenland, the shooting of two unarmed protestors by ICE agents and his government spreading lies about them.
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