"I understand Governor De Santis is a very polarizing figure": Luke Bryan defends inviting Florida Governor to concert

Country music star Luke Bryan has been facing severe criticism after he invited Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on stage during a performance on Friday, October 28. While welcoming DeSantis on stage, Bryan said:

“We’re gonna have some fun and we’re gonna raise some money tonight for the great state of Florida.”

The singer and American Idol judge, currently on his Raised Up Right tour, was referring to the funds from his shows which would go to people affected by Hurricane Ian. The singer’s shows were previously postponed in September because of the hurricane.

In viral videos, DeSantis can be seen throwing caps at the crowd and giving the singer a high-five. Luke Bryan has received mixed reactions online and has since defended his decision to invite the politician on stage.

On Sunday, October 30, Bryan took to Twitter to defend his decision to invite DeSantis on stage and wrote:

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Netizens divided over Luke Bryan inviting DeSantis on stage

While some people criticized Luke Bryan for inviting the Florida governor on stage due to his policies, others noted that he was not in the wrong to help raise financial support for Hurricane Ian victims. Meanwhile, De Santis also tweeted about the concert:

Luke Bryan calling the Florida governor on stage did not sit well with some people on Twitter. De Santis, who has been in the headlines for his new contentious policies on what can be discussed in classrooms, and his recent move to move migrants to Matha's vineyard without shelter in place drew stark criticism from some netizens.

While several netizens expressed their frustration by saying they would no longer follow Luke Bryan's work and would stop watching American Idol, others on Twitter stated that Bryan made a mistake by choosing De Santis' fundraiser since many "legitimate" fundraisers for Hurricane Ian's victims already exist.

Despite many people criticizing Luke Bryan for calling DeSantis on the stage, his supporters did not shy away from writing in his support. Some even thanked Bryan for supporting Hurricane Ian's victims.

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Why is Florida governor Ron DeSantis a controversial figure?

In March 2022, DeSantis signed into law the Parental Rights in Education Act, called the "Don't Say Gay" law by its opponents. The law prohibits instruction on s*xual orientation or gender identity in public school classrooms from kindergarten to grade three.

Earlier in March, during a ceremony at a preparatory school outside Tampa, DeSantis said:

"We will make sure that parents can send their kids to school to get an education, not an indoctrination."

The law states:

"Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on s*xual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."

As per reports, DeSantis and other Republicans have reiterated that the measure is reasonable and that parents, not teachers, should approach their children with subjects of s*xual orientation and gender identity.

In September this year, DeSantis reportedly transported 50 migrants from San Antonio, Texas, to Martha's Vineyard without shelter or resources in place, which caused a lot of backlash for him.