On Sunday, Bad Bunny, the superstar rapper (also known as the King of Latin Trap), will play the last of 30 sold-out concerts in his hometown of San Juan, PR. This November, he hits the road for a nine-month global tour to bring joy and music to legions of fans worldwide. Aficionados from the Caribbean to South America, to Australia, to Japan, to Europe will be able to see the Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour (I Should Take More Photos) in their home countries.
But for Americans, the closest concerts will be in Mexico, because Bad Bunny is not playing any dates in the US. Why? He doesn't want to subject his fans to ICE raids.
As the musician told i-D magazine:
"People from the US could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world. But there was the issue that ... like, fucking ICE could be outside (my concert). And it's something that we were talking about and very concerned about."
Unlike so many white racists in the US who view different skin tones as a symbol of criminality and a reason for fear, Bad Bunny harbors no animosity for America. He explained:
"There were many reasons why I didn't show up in the US, and none of them were out of hate. I've performed there many times. I've enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the United States."
Bad Bunny's absence from the US is not just an inconvenience for his fans; it is a lost opportunity for the ancillary businesses, their owners, and employees making money off big-time concert tours. As i-D magazine reported:
His residency shows, which began on July 11 and continued every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until September 14, were projected to bring in hundreds of thousands of tourists to Puerto Rico—and an estimated $200 million in revenue to show for it. It's a boon for the archipelago, an unincorporated US territory that's been run ragged by hurricanes, blackouts, and foreign profiteers who flip family homes into pricey Airbnb rentals.
The US isn't just losing money from concert tours. The rest of the world no longer views America as a place to visit. And they are voting with their feet.
As the country lurches toward political, religious, and cultural totalitarianism, the US is becoming an international pariah. Tourism has declined in all but one month of Trump's regime. The downturn has no end in sight. And the US is bucking the trend — it is the only country expected to see fewer visitors in 2025.
Even domestically, the Trump touch is withering artistic fruit on the vine. After he installed himself as the Chairman of the Kennedy Center, that national center for the performing arts saw a catastrophic fall off in ticket sales — which has led to acts cancelling their dates in DC.
America is faced with two futures — neither good. At best, the voters will excise this cancer on the country, starting with the midterms and coming to fruition in the 2028 presidential election. Sadly, this will still leave Americans with a years-long struggle to rehabilitate the country's image.
At worst, the country will collapse into fascism. And the political and cultural landscape of the US will resemble that of North Korea.
