Luke Bryan defends Ron DeSantis appearance at concert

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Luke Bryan has broken his silence after enraging Twitter with his decision to bring out Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis at his Jacksonville concert last week.

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“I typically don’t respond to stuff when I’m getting run down on a social platform but here’s the deal. I understand Governor DeSantis is a very polarizing figure. But I grew up in a country where if a governor ask(s) you if they can come and raise awareness to help victims of a natural disaster you help,” Bryan wrote in a social media post.

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In a video shared on Twitter, Bryan was seen welcoming DeSantis onstage as he told concertgoers they were going to have “some fun” and “raise some money tonight for the great state of Florida.”

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But not everyone was pleased by DeSantis’ appearance.

“He will no longer be on my playlist. What a shame. No more concerts, albums, anything Luke Bryan. I think he’ll be surprised by how many of my fellow Kentuckians feel the same way,” one person tweeted in response, with another adding, “I had my suspicions about @LukeBryan and his political leanings. He was already on my list of artists whose music I refuse to purchase for fear of my hard earned money going into the pockets of election deniers and democracy assassins. Many thanks for confirming!”

“I’m honestly shocked!” a third critic remarked. “How could you sing ‘I believe you love who you love ain’t nothing you should ever be ashamed of’ and then bring the don’t say gay governor out on stage???”

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DeSantis, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, has courted controversy during his governorship of Florida. Earlier this year, he asked a group of schoolkids not to wear masks during a photo-op.

“You do not have to wear those masks,” DeSantis said as he approached the podium. “I mean, please take them off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything, and we’ve got to stop with this COVID theatre. So if you want to wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous.”

DeSantis, who made headlines after shipping migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, also signed a “Don’t Say Gay” law that forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through Grade 3, a policy, critics say, marginalizes LGBTQ people.

In his statement, the American Idol judge went on to add that he’s “generally stayed out of politics throughout my career,” but admitted he knew the appearance would cause “chatter.”

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“But for me the more important piece was if I am going to come back there a few weeks after a large portion of people have been affected by a natural disaster in a state where people have been good to me this felt right.”

DeSantis thanked Bryan for inviting him onstage in a tweet Saturday.

“Thanks for letting me crash the party last night, @lukebryan!” DeSantis said.

DeSantis wasn’t without support, with one social media user saying, “Good to know we still have country music artists who remain Awake and have not turned Woke!” while another added, “Always loved Luke, love him even more now.”

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DeSantis’ spokesperson Christina Pushaw was also quick to dismiss critics.

“Reminder to all public figures, corporations, etc… Twitter isn’t real life,” she tweeted. “The haters might be loud and well-organized online, but in reality, they are a small portion of the population, especially here in Florida.”

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