“Fake American citizen,” Paul says about Super Bowl halftime performer
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fired back at influencer and boxer Jake Paul after he urged followers to “turn off” a televised halftime show and described the performer as a “fake American citizen” in a post that spread quickly across X.
Purposefully turning off the halftime show
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) February 8, 2026
Let’s rally together and show big corporations they can’t just do whatever they want without consequences
(which equals viewership for them)
You are their benefit. Realize you have power.
Turn off this halftime. A fake American…
Paul’s message, posted Sunday, framed the halftime performance as something viewers should reject. In the post, he called the performer a “fake American citizen” and claimed the person “publicly hates America,” arguing he “cannot support that.” The remark drew immediate criticism from users who said the language was inaccurate and inflammatory, especially given the performer’s Puerto Rican background that was widely discussed in the replies.
Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, responded in a post of her own by quoting Paul’s “fake American citizen” line and challenging him directly. She criticized Paul’s decision to move to Puerto Rico and accused him of relocating for tax reasons, then contrasted that with what she described as philanthropic support for children’s arts and sports access by “Benito,” a reference widely understood online as pointing to the Puerto Rican star at the center of the halftime discussion.
A “fake American citizen?”
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 9, 2026
Didn’t you MOVE to Puerto Rico to avoid paying your taxes while kids across America go hungry?
Meanwhile Benito actually funds low income kids’ access to arts and sports programs, while you defund them.
Of course you’re mad. He makes you look small. https://t.co/lLfY8pcBLn
Ocasio-Cortez’s reply escalated the dispute from a pop-culture complaint into a broader argument about Puerto Rico, citizenship and public money. In her post, she argued that the performer funds programs for low-income children while Paul “defund[s]” them — a claim she did not substantiate with details in the post itself. She ended her response with a personal jab, telling Paul he was angry because the performer “makes you look small.”
The exchange unfolded as X’s user-driven “Readers added context” feature attached a note beneath Paul’s post. The note stated that people who live in Puerto Rico have been identified as U.S. citizens since 1917. It also added that Paul, who has lived in Puerto Rico since 2021, would still qualify as a U.S. citizen — a point that some critics highlighted to argue his wording was internally inconsistent.
Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, and citizenship status for people born there has been a recurring flashpoint in national political debates as well as online culture-war disputes. The argument in this case moved rapidly: within hours, Paul’s post prompted a cascade of replies about Puerto Rico’s status, the performer’s identity, and the broader politics of the halftime show itself.
Neither Paul nor Ocasio-Cortez offered additional documentation in their posts to support wider claims about taxes, government funding, or the performer’s views. Still, the back-and-forth gained traction because it combined a major TV moment, a high-profile member of Congress and a viral influencer — the kind of mix that can turn a single phrase into a broader fight over identity and belonging.
Abbie Clark is the founder and editor of Now Rundown, covering the stories that hit households first—health, politics, insurance, home costs, scams, and the fine print people often learn too late.
