Following a surprise appearance by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at country music legend Luke Bryan’s packed Jacksonville concert on Friday, the flow of liberal tears threatened to short-circuit the internet, as calls to “cancel” the chart-topping singer spilled across social media.
In a rare response to his critics, Bryan hit back on Sunday, with a post that should have dropped the mic on the subject. Instead, Bryan’s statement has sparked a whole new wave of tweets from both sides of the political aisle.
“I typically don’t respond to stuff when I’m getting run down on a social platform but here’s the deal,” Bryan tweeted.
“I understand Governor Desantis (sic) is a very polarizing figure,” the singer continued. “But I grew up in a country where if a governor ask you if they can come and raise awareness to help victims of a natural disaster you help.”
“I’ve generally stayed out of politics throughout my career,” he wrote. “I knew people would chatter about this 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. Raise awareness, have a little fun between the GA and FL college fans before the fame and do what I love on stage.”
“This is all I am saying about this,” Bryan concluded. “I’ll be outdoors with my boys. Enjoy your Sunday. Love y’all # GoDawgs.”
— Luke Bryan (@lukebryan) October 30, 2022
As BizPac Review reported, Bryan brought DeSantis onto Jacksonville’s VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena stage during a concert to benefit victims of Hurricane Ian’s destructive path.
Video of the crowd cheering as DeSantis greeted them quickly went viral.
DeSantis just walked out on stage at Luke Bryan. It’s deafening in here. pic.twitter.com/WHelgPCxM1
— Bonnie Upright, APR (@bonnieupright) October 29, 2022
The online ugly began moments later.
And Luke Bryan just got crossed off the playlist. https://t.co/pZArfOE4vA
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) October 29, 2022
Starting a pool on how long it’ll be before Luke Bryan’s publicist releases a statement saying he is all about acceptance and love despite appearing on stage with the bigoted piece of shit, Ron DeSantis.
I say noon tomorrow.
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) October 29, 2022
Luke Bryan probably has fans who have had an abortion, or have a family member who has.
He probably has fans who are members of the LGBT+ community. Who are immigrants. Who are BIPOC.
He clearly has 0 respect for any of them. pic.twitter.com/PQnZdgcRRv
— Zevi L עם ישראל חי (@MagicOn33rd) October 30, 2022
Rather than calm the storm and unite people around good music and great deeds, Bryan’s post-concert post sparked a new flurry of tweets from both sides of the political aisle.
Many rushed to caution against giving a perceived inch to the “woke mob.”
“Don’t EVER bow to the woke cancel culture mob,” the Hodgetwins tweeted. “They’re all cowards and hypocrites.”
“You don’t have to explain sh*t to anyone!” another user replied.
“DeSantis is only ‘polarizing’ because he’s not a Democrat,” stated a third. “You shouldn’t have even responded to any of this.”
Don’t EVER bow to the woke cancel culture mob. They’re all cowards and hypocrites.
— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) October 30, 2022
You dont have to explain sht to anyone !
— ComeTogether🇺🇸 (@Thomas68018310) October 31, 2022
DeSantis is only “polarizing” because he’s not a Democrat. You shouldn’t have even responded to any of this.
— Rob Smith 🇺🇸 (@robsmithonline) October 30, 2022
And, naturally, Bryan’s statement did nothing to assuage the intolerant left.
https://twitter.com/EricHolguinTX/status/1586918578577711106?s=20&t=5ADrUVoPRmiwwol3p93gqg
https://twitter.com/BOBjustBOB2020/status/1586829103080304642?s=20&t=5ADrUVoPRmiwwol3p93gqg
“I understand he’s a polarizing figure” … who literally just very publicly trafficked humans for a PR stunt, and that’s just the beginning – if you’re going to put your politics out there at least do it with your whole chest. Don’t pretend like this didn’t send a message. https://t.co/Cef5xbmiHH
— Hi! I’m Josie! ✨ (@josiemaida) October 30, 2022
As is so often the case during a Twitter storm, it was DeSantis’s Rapid Response Director Christina Pushaw who had the most measured take on the matter.
“Reminder to all public figures, corporations, etc… Twitter isn’t real life. The haters might be loud and well-organized online, but in reality, they are a small portion of the population, especially here in Florida,” she tweeted. “Thanks @lukebryan for helping support Hurricane Ian victims💕.”
https://twitter.com/ChristinaPushaw/status/1586780168881946624?s=20&t=5ADrUVoPRmiwwol3p93gqg
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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