Alexis Wilkins, a country musician and the girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, said Republicans need to step up their messaging game after Democrats rallied around Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny and his recent Super Bowl halftime performance.
Wilkins made the comments in response to a post from the Democratic Party’s official account on X, which celebrated Bad Bunny’s halftime appearance and labeled it an “All-American halftime with Bad Bunny.” While many conservatives criticized the performance, Wilkins focused instead on what she saw as effective political branding from the left.
“Unpopular: Republicans need to unite and get on better messaging because this branding is fantastic and allows all dems to get behind it,” Wilkins wrote Sunday night. She added that the presentation was “super aesthetic,” suggesting Democrats were successfully packaging a cultural moment in a way that resonates broadly.
Her comments came as President Donald Trump sharply criticized the halftime show, which aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. Trump blasted the performance on Truth Social, calling it “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!”
“It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence,” Trump wrote. He went on to say that viewers couldn’t understand what was being said and described the dancing as inappropriate, particularly for young children watching across the country and around the world.
Some conservatives have also voiced frustration with Bad Bunny over his past political positions. The rapper backed former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and has made public comments critical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, drawing backlash from the right.
Wilkins later clarified her remarks in a follow-up post on Monday, saying critics had misunderstood her point. She said she did not watch Bad Bunny’s performance and was not commenting on the show itself.
“An important clarification on my post last night: I didn’t watch Bad Bunny’s performance at all. My point wasn’t the show,” Wilkins wrote.
Instead, she said her focus was on the political strategy behind the Democrats’ response. Wilkins warned that Republicans cannot afford to lose ground they gained in the last election by allowing Democrats to successfully rebrand themselves.
“My point was that we can’t give the left an inch of the ground we gained in the last election,” she wrote. “They’re clearly going to cosplay as people who ‘love America’ and our constitution to pick up moderates and youth votes.”
Wilkins’ comments reflect a broader debate inside conservative circles about culture, messaging, and how political parties connect with younger and moderate voters. While many Republicans remain focused on criticizing what they see as cultural and political excesses from the left, Wilkins suggested that Democrats are effectively using pop culture moments to present themselves as mainstream and patriotic.
Her remarks sparked discussion about whether Republicans need a more unified and visually compelling message to compete in the same space, even as figures like Trump continue to deliver blunt criticism of cultural events they believe clash with American values.
[READ MORE: Comer Rejects Clemency for Maxwell After She Stonewalls Congress on Epstein Crimes]
