Luke Bryan Defends Bringing 'Polarizing' Florida Governor Ron DeSantis On Stage At Concert After Fans Call Him Out!

31.10.2022 - 18:57 / perezhilton.com

Luke Bryan is trying to quiet down the backlash he’s been receiving after inviting Ron DeSantis on stage during a Florida concert over the weekend.

This all went down on Friday night when the American Idol judge was performing in the lead-up to the college football game between the University of Florida and the University of Georgia set for Saturday in Jacksonville. During Luke’s show, he invited DeSantis, the governor of Florida, to join him in front of concertgoers as part of a fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Ian. Weeks after the storm, residents of some areas of the state are still suffering from the powerful weather front’s effects, and Luke wanted to raise some cash to help them out. All good, right?

Related: Ron DeSantis Was SUPER Shady In Sending Those Migrants To Martha’s Vineyard!

That wasn’t the only thing that went down on stage, though. While the 46-year-old country crooner may have been focused on hurricane relief, the 44-year-old governor is currently running a tight re-election campaign against Democrat challenger Charlie Crist. And according to reports from the show, when DeSantis took the stage with Bryan, he tossed out campaign hats and tried to drum up support for his re-election.

After the appearance in Jacksonville, DeSantis even referenced the Georgia native’s 2013 hit Crash My Party in a follow-up message posted to Twitter:

But in the days since, Twitter users have blown up over the apparent political stance implied by Luke when he invited the governor up! DeSantis has drawn the ire of many after recently signing several high-profile bills inhibiting discussion of sexual orientation, transgender issues, and race in classrooms across the Sunshine State. So the governor’s presence was NOT welcome