After much of liberal Twitter erupted over Luke Bryan’s decision to bring out Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis at his Jacksonville concert recently, the singer broke his silence. To address the apparent controversy, the country musician took to his Twitter writing in part: “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 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. 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,” he noted.
The judge from the “American Idol” continued by saying: “Raise awareness, have a little fun between the GA and FL college fans before the game and do what I love on stage. This is all I’m saying about this. I’ll be outdoors with my boys. Enjoy your Sunday. Love y’all #GoDawgs.”
The Georgia Bulldogs’ defeat over the Florida Gators was referenced by Bryan, who is a native of Georgia.
“Text: disaster to 20222 to support,” said Bryan, concluding his statement. Local Florida officials reported in September that 132 people had died due to Hurricane Ian, said Fox News.
DeSantis wrote his appreciation to Bryan for the opportunity, tweeting: “Thanks for letting me crash the party last night.” The governor was seen in a video shared on Twitter, tossing what appeared to be hats to the very large Bryan crowd as he walked on stage.
Bryan’s statement responses were a bit mixed. For speaking openly on the topic, many fans commended the musician, writing: “You are an upstanding man and the FL Governor rocks.”
“I love you SO MUCH, Luke. Your true fans know your heart and what you are all about. Enjoy your family and ignore all the haters. Social media is ridiculous,” tweeted another fan.
But as others were wary of Bryan’s remarks, one person wrote: “You have to understand your visibility and be careful who you associate with. Will you stand with a group of immigrants that DeSantis has vilified? Or families of gun violence?”
DeSantis appears favored to remain as governor, but only if Florida residents make it to the polls and vote.