BTS‘s recent appearance in Mexico has been hit with a wave of criticism, with netizens worrying about the group being used for political reasons.
Ahead of the group’s shows in Mexico, it was announced that BTS would visit the National Palace in Mexico and meet the president, greeting fans from the balcony.
BTS will visit Palacio Nacional and meet Mexico’s President today at 8 am kst and a palace balcony will be opened for them to greet fans pic.twitter.com/LeDBi2zBMa
— kat (@kookyun) May 6, 2026
Within only a few hours, over 50,000 fans were reported to gather at the National Palace.
[NEWS] The President of Mexico Claudia S. announced that #BTS gathered nearly 50,000 people in the Zocalo with only 5 hours of announcement to welcome BTS in Mexico City! 🇲🇽
BTS PAVED THE WAY pic.twitter.com/XB2Jt4JLdu
— BTS Charts News (@btschartsxdaily) May 7, 2026
[#오늘의방탄]
260506 BTS visited the National Palace in CDMX#방탄소년단 #BTS #BTSatTheNationalPalace pic.twitter.com/DjwO71Vf5U— BTS_official (@bts_bighit) May 7, 2026
Yet, although the turnout was huge and sparked shock, there was also some criticism of the appearance. While some hated that BTS had to make the appearance rather than preparing for their concert…
They were suppose to be rehersing for the concert tomorrow & enjoy a lil bit of free time.. why you gotta make them meet the president?!? they are MUSICIANS.. let them just make music & perform.. free them 😭😭
— VinterBear⟭⟬ ⊙⊝⊜ 💜⁷ (@shadowlike_v) May 6, 2026
Many hit back at BTS seemingly being used for a political reason, with many fans sharing the situation in Mexico and the worry that the group was forced into something and used as “political props,” which could set a precedent for other countries. Rather than just something nice for Mexican fans, many thought it was a tactic to deflect from other issues and use BTS’s popularity.
We kindly ask ARMY GLOBAL to refrain from sharing or amplifying news regarding a certain visit currently being circulated.
ARMY México does not support the use of the group for political purposes.
While we understand that it may not be possible to stop information entirely,…
— BTSchartsMX🇲🇽 (@mxcharts) May 6, 2026
Why are BTS being dragged into political issues just because a country’s president decided it was a good idea to invite them to the government palace… I’m so tired of the boys being used as political props and publicity tools. This shouldn’t even be happening. Free them.
— isa (@solmerv) May 6, 2026
I said what I said. I think this BTS visit to the MX gov is a mistake, and they shouldn’t have agreed to participate 💁♂️This is going to open doors for other countries/gov to ask/expect for the same.
I know they probably want to give back to ARMY MX for the love and maybe give…— Yoong⟬⟭na⊙⊝⊜🎀🐱⁷ (@Yoonginapuppy2) May 6, 2026
Please realise that there is a huge diplomatic pressure on bts to attend this pic.twitter.com/ztXttYzP0N
— kat (@kookyun) May 6, 2026
Why are BTS being dragged into political issues just because a country’s president decided it was a good idea to invite them to the government palace… I’m so tired of the boys being used as political props and publicity tools. This shouldn’t even be happening. Free them.
— isa (@solmerv) May 6, 2026
many big issues happening in Mexico, hospitals in horrible conditions no medication, many ppl go missing every day, she should have bigger priorities than this but of course she wants something to distract us from real problems https://t.co/L3bXuahg34
— ꕮ (@jjreae) May 6, 2026
