Bad Bunny’s new “NUEVAYoL” video mixes retro vibes with bold political commentary, including a Trump-like voice apologizing to immigrants.
Bad Bunny’s “NUEVAYoL” video, released on July 4, combines nostalgic visuals with a searing critique of contemporary U.S. immigration policy.
Directed by Renell Medrano, the clip opens on a lavish, retro-styled quinceañera, complete with a nervous fifteen-year-old honoree, dancing chambelanes and a boisterous crowd of family members.
Throughout, Bad Bunny’s performance is interwoven with references to Puerto Rican culture—most notably a salute atop a Statue of Liberty draped in the island’s flag—to underscore both pride in his heritage and solidarity with immigrants.
Musically, “NUEVAYoL” builds on the artist’s latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, sampling the classic salsa tune “Un Verano en Nueva York” by Andy Montañez and El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico.
The sample cements the video’s vintage aesthetic while grounding its message in a broader Caribbean diaspora.
Midway through the video, a group of men gathers around a seventies-era boombox to listen to a recording of a Donald Trump–style voiceover.
In a surprising turn, this caricatured Trump admits, “I made a mistake… I want to apologize to the immigrants in America… This country is nothing without the immigrants,” listing Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezuelans and Cubans.
The men promptly shut off the boombox—an act that visually signals both skepticism toward political platitudes and defiance in the face of symbolic gestures.
Closing footage alternates between black-and-white and color clips of New York’s Puerto Rican community—street scenes, storefronts, family gatherings—highlighting resilience and unity.
The final frame reads “juntos somos más fuertes” (“together we are stronger”), a succinct call for collective empowerment.
The timing of the video is no coincidence.
It follows days after the Trump administration unveiled “Alligator Alcatraz,” a new ICE detention facility in the Florida Everglades designed to house up to 5,000 migrants and guarded by the region’s wildlife.
Trump touted alligators and panthers as “bodyguards,” framing the Everglades’ dangers as an added layer of security.
By contrast, Bad Bunny’s video reclaims the narrative, portraying immigrants not as threats but as the very backbone of American society.
“NUEVAYoL” continues Bad Bunny’s recent trend of merging artistry with activism.
After labeling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” at a Trump rally last year, the artist released an eight-minute visual ode to his homeland.
In a January 2025 interview with Rolling Stone, he affirmed his intention to speak candidly on political issues—“whoever doesn’t like it doesn’t have to listen”—solidifying his role as one of music’s most outspoken voices on social justice.
