US President Donald Trump has already checked one Super Bowl box that no other sitting president has before. Last year, he showed up and made history by attending the game in person. This time, though, the scene flips. With Super Bowl LX set for Feb. 8 in California, Trump has decided to stay away.

The game is not the issue. Instead, his frustration is aimed squarely at the musical acts booked for the night, including Bad Bunny and Green Day, both of whom have been vocal critics of him.

“I’m anti-them,” said the president. “I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.”

Bad Bunny’s history with Trump explains why the tension feels personal. The Puerto Rican rapper has made his views clear in public and through music.

Last year, he released “Nuevayol,” a song that included an imitation of Trump’s voice saying, “I want to apologize to the immigrants in America… This country is nothing without the immigrants. This country is nothing without Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Cubans.”

That message alone put him firmly on the opposite side of the president. On the other side, Green Day, who is set to kick off Super Bowl LX during the opening ceremony, has never exactly played it safe either.

Over the years, they have taken repeated shots at Trump. During a New Year’s Eve performance two years ago, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong changed the lyrics of “American Idiot” from “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda” to “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda.”

However, the halftime shows are not the only reason Donald Trump is skipping the Super Bowl this year.

Donald Trump also skipping Super Bowl because of distance

While his halftime show remarks drew attention, Donald Trump also pointed to distance as the deciding factor for not attending the Super Bowl. According to him, the trip across the country simply felt like too much.

“It’s just too far away. I would (have gone otherwise),” he said. “I’ve gotten great hands for the Super Bowl; they like me, I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter.”

This year’s Super Bowl will take place on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California. Levi’s Stadium will host the event at the home of the Niners in the Bay Area.

However, Trump has not exactly been quiet about football this season, even without attending the league’s biggest night. In fact, the President of the United States has stayed plugged into the league.

He openly criticized the NFL’s new kickoff rules that rolled out last season.

“I hate the kickoff in football. I think it’s so terrible, I think it’s so demeaning, I think it hurts the game and hurts the pageantry,” Trump said back in November.

“I’ve told that to Roger Goodell. And I don’t think it’s any safer. I mean, you still have guys crashing into each other. The ball is in the air, and nobody is moving. It’s supposed to be when the ball is in the air; when the ball is played, you’re supposed to be moving. The pageantry of the game is so badly hurt.”

Later on, he even stepped into a Fox broadcast booth during Week 10, adding his voice and presence to the live call. Trump also praised Shedeur Sanders after his first NFL start and recently endorsed an NFL team to hire John Harbaugh following his firing by the Ravens.

As for the Super Bowl matchup, it is still wide open. In the AFC, the Patriots and their loyal Pats Nation will clash with the Broncos backed by Broncos Country. In the NFC, the Rams face the Seahawks, with Rams House and the 12s waiting to see who earns the trip to football’s biggest stage.