FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump salutes during the national anthem at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., February 9, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
Jan 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will not attend the National Football League's Super Bowl on February 8 because the game, which will be played at Levi's Stadium in northern California, is "just too far away," he said in a New York Post interview published on Saturday.
Trump, who told the newspaper he would attend the game if the trip were a "little bit shorter," became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl when he attended the 2025 game, which took place in New Orleans.
He has since turned up at other major sporting events, including last year's Daytona 500 NASCAR race and this week's college football national championship, both of which took place in Florida, just a short flight from Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, wherehe frequently stays on weekends. He also attended golf's Ryder Cup in September, when it took place in Bethpage, New York.
Trump told the New York Post he was displeased the NFL championship game would feature halftime entertainment by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny and a pregame performance by punk rockers Green Day.
The president has called the NFL's selection of Bad Bunny as the game's featured halftime act "absolutely ridiculous" and his supporters widely panned the Spanish-rapping musician.
Green Day has written songs with lyrics critical of the "MAGA agenda." Lead singer BillieJoe Armstrong has spoken publicly in support of those protesting the Trump administration's anti-immigration policies.
Despite his criticism, Trump said the musicians' presence at the game has nothing to do with his decision to stay away.
The NFL and representatives for Bad Bunny and Green Day did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Super Bowl has been the most-viewed event in the United States every year for decades. Last year's game averaged nearly 130 million viewers in the United States and 62.5 million international viewers, according to the NFL.
(Reporting by Karl Plume in Chicago; Editing by Sergio Non, Rod Nickel)
