Bad Bunny shared a video of the Democratic presidential candidate to his more than 45 million followers on Instagram in support of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Bad Bunny, whose official name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is one of the most famous artists of the moment. His endorsement could be a boost to Harris’ campaign as it seeks to bolster support among Latino and Puerto Rican voters, where Trump is trying to gain ground.
The 30-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton artist, whose hit songs include “Dakiti” and “Titi Me Preguntó,” has won three Grammy Awards. He was the most streamed artist on Spotify in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and surpassed Taylor Swift in 2023. He was named Artist of the Year by Apple Music in 2022.
A video shared by Bad Bunny on Instagram shows Harris saying, “This election has important issues at stake for Puerto Rican voters and Puerto Rico.” A representative for the artist confirmed that Bad Bunny is supporting Harris.
The artist then shared another portion of the clip several times in which Harris says she will “never forget what Donald Trump did and didn’t do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and capable leader.”
His endorsement came shortly after a comedian called Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash” at the opening of a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comments were immediately criticized by the Harris campaign.
Puerto Rico’s vote is sizable in Pennsylvania, arguably the most competitive swing state in the 2024 election.
Bad Bunny has spoken out criticizing Puerto Rico’s electrical system after it was destroyed by Hurricane Maria. In the 2022 music video for his song ‘El Apagon’, the artist blamed Luma Energy, the company responsible for transmission and distribution, for the ongoing power outages plaguing the island.
One of his most recent songs, “Una Velita”, is also a protest song about the government’s response after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017.
A year after the storm, public health experts estimated that nearly 3,000 people died as a result of Hurricane Maria. But Trump, who has persistently criticized efforts to help the island territory recover, repeatedly questioned the number, saying it had risen “magically.”
His visit to the island after the hurricane sparked controversy, with paper towels being thrown. His administration announced $13 billion in aid just weeks before the 2020 presidential election a few years later. And a federal government watchdog found that officials obstructed an investigation into delays in aid delivery.
Bad Bunny also shared a portion of a video in which Harris is seen saying “President Trump abandoned the island and tried to block aid after a series of devastating hurricanes, offering nothing but paper towels and insults.”
In 2020, Bad Bunny allowed the Biden campaign to use one of his hit songs, “Pero Ya No,” in a TV commercial.
