Bad Bunny speaks out during Puerto Rico election

Bad Bunny has been outspoken on social and political issues in Puerto Rico, but many wondered whether he planned to take a definitive stance this election year. He was omnipresent during the 2019 protests, but would he show up now? In September he released “Una Velita,” a powerful and emotional call for leadership change in the Caribbean archipelago. There have been many rumors about what would come next, but nothing has been confirmed. Suddenly, he only followed one person on Instagram: Juan Dalmau Ramírez, Puerto Rico's third-party gubernatorial candidate.

To understand Dalmau's campaign, one must look at Puerto Rico broadly. In recent years, Puerto Rico has been hit by multiple recessions, a catastrophic hurricane, devastating austerity measures, rampant corruption among members of Congress and senior government officials (including the Secretary of Education), shattering earthquakes, the pandemic, and much more. All of this has led to the largest exodus of residents since the migration of the 1940s, a shortage of medical professionals, the closure of schools and hospitals, and skyrocketing rental prices due to the influx of foreigners who have bought up entire blocks and properties into short-term apartments and vacation rentals convert.

The 2020 election featured a race that was not, as usual, between the pro-government New Progressive Party and the pro-community Popular Democratic Party. This year saw the emergence of the Citizens Victory Movement, a new left-leaning party that called on voters to address Puerto Rico's social needs and centered these initiatives regardless of their preferred status. Together with the historic Puerto Rican Independence Party, which had always finished a distant third in elections for decades, they received a combined 354,000 votes. Encouraged by these numbers, the two parties formed a coalition and stood behind one candidate. The coalition was named La Alianza (“the Alliance”) and the person elected to lead it was Juan Dalmau, a former senator and Independence Party candidate in 2020.

Bad Bunny following Dalmau on Instagram was not a tacit endorsement. Urbano artists voiced their opinions in Puerto Rico and the United States, with Anuel AA and Nicky Jam endorsing Donald J. Trump and others publicly supporting Dalmau. Benito remained silent until shortly before Dalmau's final rally on November 3rd, posting on “It will be tomorrow.”

At midday on the day of the rally, Dalmau's social media accounts posted a list of the artists who would be performing. Finally, at the top was the name everyone was looking for: “Bad Bunny.” Dalmau has consistently drawn the largest crowds during the campaign cycle and received the support of some of the island's best-known names. Here's what Bad Bunny said when he showed up at the rally and highlights of the historic event.

Huge number of visitors

The rally exceeded even the highest expectations. The final estimated attendance was 65,000 people, far exceeding any of the other party's rallies that same evening. The line-up included a variety of artists and bands, from the popular and always politically minded rock band Fiel A La Vega to the legendary folk singer Roy Brown to the up-and-coming young quartet Chuwi. The other artists who appeared were PJ Sin Suela, Rafa Pabon, Kany García, iLe and Residente. In addition to supporters, other artists such as Rauw Alejandro, Brray and Arcángel were also present, but their presence was happily acknowledged by fans at the event and online.

Mixed reactions to the presidential election

The event focused almost entirely on Puerto Rico, with the exception of a few minutes taken up by guest speaker Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in the U.S. Congress. She had endorsed Dalmau two weeks earlier and campaigned for his candidacy, but also mentioned the close race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump, calling the former a racist and pointing to the infamous “Island of Trash” slur in Puerto Rico from one of his surrogates at his recent rally at Madison Square Garden.

The reaction to her speech was lukewarm at best. It included a pre-recorded message from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which also focused more on the stakes of the US election and appeared to be aimed more at sympathizers living in the states. A post by Ocasio-Cortez on X shortly afterward was criticized for calling the rally anti-Trump before mentioning La Alianza and Dalmau. “This was not about mainland US politics at all, and it is completely disingenuous of AOC to claim otherwise,” one user quoted the original post as saying.

A resident addresses the crowd in a quiet voice

Residente and Kany García took the stage and sang Residente's 2017 song “Hijos del Cañaveral.” He turned his attention to the crowd and shared how that moment felt for him. “(I'm here) full of hope for better public education and an end to all the damn corruption in this country. You don’t know how excited I am,” he said. “This means more than any concert I have ever given in any country in the world or any award I have won. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me, just seeing so many people who are proud to be Puerto Rican.”

Bad Bunny talks about his political awakening

Soon the man everyone was waiting for appeared without much fanfare. A spotlight showed Bad Bunny to the crowd, who erupted in cheers. He shifted his weight and appeared more serious than usual. He radiated an unusual nervous energy. In his opening remarks, he confirmed this by saying that giving speeches was more nerve-wracking for him than performing. As he began his remarks, he paused to compose himself and took a deep breath.

He directly addressed the idea that he was paid or pressured to attend the rally, saying, “Nobody told me I had to be here.” My heart told me to come; My heart and my love for (Puerto Rico) brought me here.”

For more than 30 minutes, he spoke about how he got to this moment and what he believes was his political departure. He mentioned that he grew up in a household that voted militantly for the pro-state New Progressive Party and recalled that for the first time he “voted for a traitor who put more than 30,000 families out of work,” including the Most of Benito's family at the time. Although he did not give his name, he was referring to former Gov. Luis G. Fortuño, who laid off nearly 30,000 workers in 2008 in what he said was a move to cut government spending. (Initially there was confusion about the schedule; Bad Bunny later appealed

“Nobody had to tell me about it,” he said, citing poor management and corruption. “I lived it. I was born and raised here.” He then said it was the first and last time he voted for a New Progressive Party candidate.

Final approval from Bad Bunny

Last month, Benito invested nearly $500,000 to buy up billboards across the island with slogans and messages critical of the island's two major parties. “I live in Puerto Rico. I have lived in Puerto Rico my entire life. I was born here and I want to die here,” he said, adding that he spent seven months abroad for work in 2023, which was the longest time he has ever spent away from home. “There are many Puerto Ricans who had to leave but still have the right to speak out, especially if they dream of coming back one day.”

As his speech came to an end, he finally and officially supported Juan Dalmau and La Alianza, saying: “The other two parties are not a change and not an option.”

The more emotional he became, the more relaxed his body language became and the bad boy that everyone there knows and loves began to emerge. “I dream of a united Puerto Rico that demands respect for itself, damn it! I don't follow any party. My party is the people, my party is Puerto Rico,” he said. His voice rising, he looked out and said, “I'm here because I love my country as much as I love my mother, and I would give my life for my mother.”