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'I'll be outdoors with my boys': Luke Bryan slams trolls after backlash for Ron DeSantis appearance

'I grew up in a country where if a governor asks you if they can come and raise awareness to help victims of a natural disaster you help,' Luke Bryan wrote

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: Luke Bryan, a country singer, was forced to defend his decision to invite controversial political figure Ron DeSantis on stage during a performance in Jacksonville when liberals widely pledged to "cancel" the musician over the unannounced visit. Bryan performed on Friday, October 28, as part of a concert aimed at raising money for the hurricane relief operations in the distressed state.

DeSantis, who is seeking re-election as governor, joined the 'Play It Again' singer on stage since he made arrangements to donate money to the politician's hurricane relief fund during the performance. The crowd applauded DeSantis after his surprise arrival, but the general public online did not share the same enthusiasm and was quick to attack Bryan, 46, for associating with the governor. People online committed not to watch Bryan's American Idol, where he serves as a judge. Some even pledged to skip the upcoming CMA Awards, which Bryan will co-host, while others bluntly demanded that he be fired. 

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After witnessing such intense outrage, Bryan took to social media on Sunday, October 30 to respond to the swarms of Twitter users who disapproved of him for entertaining a man who they claimed supported anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion stances.

The 'Drink a Beer' singer responded to the criticism on Twitter, telling his over 10 million followers that "I typically don't respond to stuff when I'm getting run down on a social platform," but he nevertheless went ahead and responded. Bryan stated that his primary goal in arranging the heated concert appearance was to aid hurricane victims, notably the families of the 132 people who were confirmed killed as a result of the catastrophic storm.

"Here's the deal. I understand Governor DeSantis is a very polarizing figure," Bryan continued. "I grew up in a country where if a governor asks 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."

Bryan added, "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 game and do what I love on stage."

In an apparent effort to move past the controversy, the Georgia native closed his remarks with one final polite remark. He wrote, "This is all I am saying about this. I'll be outdoors with my boys. Enjoy your Sunday. Love y'all #GoDawgs." Following that, the 'All My Friends Say' singer provided details on how to contribute to DeSantis' Florida Disaster Fund, which has already raised more than $50 million, including a kind donation from Bryan.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.