Katie Miller appeared to set up Dallas Cowboys co-owner Charlotte Jones so she might badmouth Bad Bunny and the NFL’s social justice initiatives ― but Jones wasn’t having it. (Watch the video below.)
Miller’s husband, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, is the head cheerleader for President Donald Trump’s deportation program, and she’s a former Trump administration spokesperson.
Miller brought up MAGA hot-button issues multiple times in the podcast interview that she shared Tuesday, and Jones subtly pushed back.
“What are your thoughts on Bad Bunny performing at this year’s Super Bowl?” Miller asked. The Puerto Rican rapper, who will be performing in Spanish, was chosen despite his criticisms of Trump and his admission that he hasn’t been playing U.S. concerts because he fears ICE agents will round up his fans.
“I think it’s awesome,” Jones replied. “And I think our Latina fanbase is amazing. When you think about the Super Bowl, you want the No. 1 performer in the world to be there. We’re on a global stage, and we can’t ever forget that. Our game goes out to everybody around the world. And to get the premier entertainer to want to be a part of our game, I think is amazing.”
“We have a mixed culture,” she added. “I mean, our whole society is based on immigrants that have come here and founded our country. And I think we can celebrate that.”
Miller stepped up to a blatantly leading question. “You don’t think at a time when his comments were divisive as it relates to President Trump, when everyone is just seeking this political unification that you’d want somebody who maybe didn’t touch politics to be on that stage?” Miller asked.
Jones didn’t take that bait either. “Yeah, I don’t think our game’s about politics. I don’t think people tune in to look at politics. We do everything we can to avoid politics. And I think in that moment that people will be watching the game. They’ll be celebrating music and nobody will be thinking about … comments on the left side, what comments on the right side, that this is about bringing people together.”
Miller tried again to MAGA-fy the slant, asking: “Over the past few years, the NFL has taken steps to be more socially conscious. Do you think that’s a place that football should be or do you think it should just be again what you’ve just said, which is about the game and leaving politics at the door?”
Jones ― whose father, Jerry Jones, is the owner and general manager of the franchise ― appeared to actively avoid casting social consciousness as a divisive issue. “The Cowboys always felt strongly that politics should never enter our game,” she said. “If we did so, we would divide half of this stadium.”
Miller followed with a question about what the branding of “America’s team” means to the Cowboys. “We have certainly taken on that mantle and felt like we need to represent every voice that’s here in this country,” Jones answered,
Jones’ responses shouldn’t be considered too surprising because she represents the NFL, but perhaps she deserves credit for intercepting someone trying to score right-wing political points.
