Bad Bunny is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris by sharing a video of the Democratic presidential candidate with his more than 45 million followers on Instagram.
Bad Bunny, whose legal name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is one of the most famous artists of the moment. His support could be a boost for the Harris campaign as it seeks to shore up support among Latino and Puerto Rican voters, among whom Trump has worked 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, only being surpassed by Taylor Swift in 2023. In 2022 he was named Artist of the Year by Apple Music.
The video shared by Bad Bunny on Instagram shows Harris saying, “There is so much at stake in this election for Puerto Rican voters and for Puerto Rico.” A rep for the artist confirmed that Bad Bunny is supporting Harris.
The artist then shared another part of the clip several times in which Harris says, “I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he didn’t do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and competent leader,” she says.
His approval came shortly after comedian who spoke at the opening of Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday called Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash.” Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comments were immediately criticized by Harris’ campaign.
The Puerto Rican vote is significant in Pennsylvania, which may be the hardest-fought swing states in the 2024 election.
Bad Bunny has spoken out about criticism of Puerto Rico’s electrical system, which was leveled by Hurricane Maria. In a 2022 music video for his song “El Apagon,” the artist called out transmission and distribution company Luma Energy for the ongoing power outages plaguing the island.
One of his most recent songs, “Una Velita,” is also a protest against the government’s response to 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’s effects. But Trump, whose efforts to help the island region recover have been persistently criticized, repeatedly questioned that number and said it rose “as if by magic.”
His visit to the island after the hurricane caused controversy, for example when he threw away paper towels. His administration released $13 billion in aid years later, just weeks before the 2020 presidential election. And a federal government watchdog found that officials obstructed an investigation into aid delays.
Bad Bunny also shared part of the clip in which Harris said Trump “left the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes and offered nothing but paper towels and insults.”
In 2020, Bad Bunny allowed the Biden campaign to use one of his hits “Pero Ya No” in a TV ad.