Nia-Malika Henderson, Columnist

The White House’s Cultural Coup Is Falling Flat

February 8, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC

Nia-Malika Henderson is a politics and policy columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. A former senior political reporter for CNN and the Washington Post, she has covered politics and campaigns for almost two decades.

Exuding cultural relevance.
Photographer: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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Bad Bunny or Kid Rock? At halftime during the Super Bowl, viewers will have a choice in the culture wars: The artist who won the Grammy for Album of the Year, a first for a Spanish-language album? Or the artist who last had a hit record in the early aughts?

President Donald Trump has made his choice. Aides have said that Trump will be watching Kid Rock, who will headline the Turning Point USA halftime show, which will also feature country singers Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett.