US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has fired back at Jake Paul after he dubbed Bad Bunny a "fake American citizen" during his Super Bowl halftime show performance. The Puerto Rican star is, in fact, a US citizen – thanks to the 1917 Jones-Shafroth Act, which granted citizenship to all residents of Puerto Rico.
Paul's attack on Bad Bunny was part of a broader backlash against the performer's criticism of the tax exemptions and incentives offered to wealthy foreigners moving to Puerto Rico. The issue is well-documented, with Puerto Ricans facing high levels of poverty, poor infrastructure, and frequent power outages – themes echoed in Bad Bunny's music video/documentary for his song "El Apagón" (which he performed at the Super Bowl).
Paul himself has been accused of hypocrisy over his own tax situation. In 2021, he and brother Logan moved to Puerto Rico to take advantage of the island's tax breaks and incentives – a move that sparked criticism from some quarters.
In a characteristic display of outrage, Paul initially refused to acknowledge Bad Bunny as a fellow American citizen. However, in a subsequent attempt to salvage his reputation, he deleted a post calling out Bad Bunny and replaced it with an effusive endorsement of the performer – claiming his original comment was not about Puerto Rican citizenship at all, but about those who use their First Amendment rights to criticize America.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has rejected Paul's spin, pointing out that many people from Puerto Rico do indeed exercise their right to free speech and express grievances against the US government. She also noted that Bad Bunny is an outspoken advocate for low-income kids' access to arts and sports programs – a stark contrast to Paul's own record of "defunding" such initiatives.
With his reputation in tatters, Jake Paul appears to be desperately trying to distance himself from Bad Bunny and salvage what's left of his public image. But Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has had the last laugh – and her scathing rebuke of Paul will no doubt be remembered for a long time to come.
Paul's attack on Bad Bunny was part of a broader backlash against the performer's criticism of the tax exemptions and incentives offered to wealthy foreigners moving to Puerto Rico. The issue is well-documented, with Puerto Ricans facing high levels of poverty, poor infrastructure, and frequent power outages – themes echoed in Bad Bunny's music video/documentary for his song "El Apagón" (which he performed at the Super Bowl).
Paul himself has been accused of hypocrisy over his own tax situation. In 2021, he and brother Logan moved to Puerto Rico to take advantage of the island's tax breaks and incentives – a move that sparked criticism from some quarters.
In a characteristic display of outrage, Paul initially refused to acknowledge Bad Bunny as a fellow American citizen. However, in a subsequent attempt to salvage his reputation, he deleted a post calling out Bad Bunny and replaced it with an effusive endorsement of the performer – claiming his original comment was not about Puerto Rican citizenship at all, but about those who use their First Amendment rights to criticize America.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has rejected Paul's spin, pointing out that many people from Puerto Rico do indeed exercise their right to free speech and express grievances against the US government. She also noted that Bad Bunny is an outspoken advocate for low-income kids' access to arts and sports programs – a stark contrast to Paul's own record of "defunding" such initiatives.
With his reputation in tatters, Jake Paul appears to be desperately trying to distance himself from Bad Bunny and salvage what's left of his public image. But Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has had the last laugh – and her scathing rebuke of Paul will no doubt be remembered for a long time to come.
... I mean, come on, Paul, you're the one who's been living in Puerto Rico and taking advantage of those tax breaks, yet you still managed to be a hater towards someone who's actually doing good work in his community? 
And now he's trying to backtrack and say his original comment wasn't about Puerto Rican citizenship? please 
. Paul's reputation is totally taking a hit and I'm loving every minute of it 
. And can we talk about how hypocritical Paul is? he's all about "free speech" but only when it doesn't inconvenience him or his wallet 
... anyway, kudos to Ocasio-Cortez for calling out Paul's BS! 
bad bunny is literally a us citizen thru some old law, so paul's all like "fake american"? that's wild 
and btw paul himself moved to puerto rico cuz of tax breaks... talk about hypocrisy 
so i was watching bad bunny at the super bowl halftime show and jake paul just dissed him saying he's a "fake american citizen" 
but like, isn't that just hurtful? 
bad bunny is actually a US citizen thanks to this 1917 law 
so paul's whole thing was just based on misinformation 
especially since bad bunny has actually been using his platform to speak out against poverty and inequality in puerto rico 
but i think we should be supporting artists who use their platforms for good 
.
. People in Puerto Rico are struggling for real, and Bad Bunny's using his platform to bring attention to it. Meanwhile, Paul's over here trying to profit off of that same tax system he's exploiting 
. The powerful want to silence the marginalized, but the truth will always come out in the end 
. This whole thing is just a distraction from the real issues at hand – like corporate greed and systemic inequality 
.
. Bad Bunny is using his platform to bring attention to some serious problems in Puerto Rico, like poverty and infrastructure issues 
. And then Jake Paul comes along and tries to use that as an excuse for his own hypocrisy? Not buying it 
.
anyway i gotta give a major props to bad bunny for owning the situation after paul tried to take a shot at him, like he's all "hey america, i'm a real american citizen too 
"
she's not having it with jake paul's shade towards bad bunny and i'm here for it! bad bunny is a proud US citizen btw 
, no need to question that. but seriously, paul's been accused of being extra salty because he got called out on his own tax situation lol. meanwhile, bad bunny is over there doing good in the community with arts and sports programs for kids - that's what it's all about 
... I'm still surprised he didn't fact-check before talking trash about him 
. And now he's trying to spin it as if Bad Bunny was just being too outspoken? Give me a break! 
. It's just gonna keep coming back to how he's been using the island's tax breaks for himself and now he's trying to deflect by saying Bad Bunny is exercising his free speech rights? Come on, Jake 
. Bad Bunny's actually doing some real good in Puerto Rico, whereas Paul's just exploiting the system for his own gain 
. Ocasio-Cortez is the real MVP here 
. I mean, it's not like he didn't know that Bad Bunny is a US citizen - the 1917 Jones-Shafroth Act thingy is pretty public knowledge 
. He was trying to come across as all high and mighty, but really he just ended up looking like a petty troll 
.