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Super Junior's Leeteuk sparks backlash by allegedly praising Trump, Musk during Los Angeles concert

Published: 14 May. 2025, 15:21

A post on social media platform X with an audio of Leeteuk allegedly saying ″I love Trump.″ The singers in the image are other members of the boy band Super Junior. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

K-pop boy band Super Junior member Leeteuk is under fire after making a favorable remark about U.S. President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

The boy band's agency SM Entertainment held its “Smtown Live 2025” concert in Los Angeles to mark its 30th anniversary on Sunday. The event featured 68 artists across 13 of SM’s leading groups, including aespa, Riize and Red Velvet.

According to U.S. music magazine Billboard, Super Junior members Leeteuk, Yesung, Shindong, Eunhyuk, Donghae and Ryeowook took the stage as a six-member unit and greeted fans. During the set, Leeteuk drew attention by playfully calling an audience member “Mom,” but not all of his antics were well-received.

Leeteuk allegedly shouted a string of statements, including “I love USA,” “I love Elon Musk,” “I love In-N-Out,” and most notably, “I love Trump,” which stirred discomfort among parts of the audience.

The clip, shared later on social media platform X, quickly fueled debate online.

“Leeteuk shouting out Elon Musk,” said one post. “Boy, pls don’t embarrass us. That horrific looking [expletive] is not even American.”

“Why the [expletive] was the weird [expletive] guy leeteuk from suju saying he loves trump and elon at smtown?” said another. “Is he [expletive] stupid?"

Some fans have speculated that Leeteuk might have mispronounced the fast food brand Chipotle — in a way that could have sounded like the U.S. president's last name — considering that his remarks came after he gave shoutouts to "In-N-Out" and "Five Guys."

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]