a day ago
Trendy 00s lead singer forced to make shock u-turn after banning Trump supporters from his shows
The lead singer of rock band The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus permanently banned Christian Donald Trump supporters from coming to his shows... but seems to have backtracked just days later.
Ronnie Winter, 42, has been vocal about his stance on the president for years and last month pleaded with any fans who voted for Trump to not attend his gigs.
In a video shared on his social media page on June 15, Ronnie declared: 'Hi, I'm Ronnie Winter. I sing for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and I actually follow what Jesus says.
'If you're a Christian and you're watching this and you voted for Donald Trump, shame on you. You are not allowed to come to my shows. I don't want you there.
'Don't come to my shows. It's awesome that you love Face Down, but it's not for you. It's not your song.'
He continued: 'If you voted for Donald Trump, do not come to my shows ever. Don't come to my shows because you're going to hear a lot of woke propaganda and you're gonna hear the actual words of Jesus, you're gonna hear a lot of acceptance from all areas of life and races, and you're gonna see a lot of harmony.
'That's not what you're about, 'kay, don't come. Refunds available.
'Forever don't come.'
However, two days later, on June 17, a separate post appeared to U-turn on his initial position.
'God's invitation of love into its heavenly kingdom is open to everyone,' a caption read.
'Let's stop trying to manipulate the Heavenly father's invitation. For a second didn't it feel weird to not be invited to our events? Let it sink in guys.
'Obviously, everyone is invited to our events, but leave the dividing topics out.'
In the weeks that have followed, Ronnie has revealed he has had to reschedule tour dates due to an onslaught of abuse and death threats from Trump supporters.
Speaking out about the response in a TikTok posted on July 1, he said: 'The extreme left think I'm not woke enough, and the extreme right think I'm too woke, that's where we're at.'
Fans of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are seemingly split over Ronnie's comments, with some praising them for being outspoken.
Others, however, criticized the singer for sharing his politics.
Taking to the comments on TikTok, one argued: 'You're a musician. Keep politics to yourself. You said Trump supporters shouldn't listen to your music. Ok cool. I'll stop listening to your two hits.'
'It's unfortunate that you couldn't separate your personal life with your musical career,' another posted.
'I loved your music. It helped me get through some through times. So being told I'm not welcome to be a fan anymore because I voted for someone that I believed it is hateful and hurtful.'
Others said: 'Even more support from this fan now!'
On asked: 'Ronnie I just want to know, am I still welcome to see y'all in September? Yes I voted for Trump, yes there's things I don't agree with that he's done and things I do agree with.
'I'm not the type to show my political opinions or beliefs. But I'm just curious if I'm still allowed to attend. Btw, I grew up with Green Day and still listen to them daily.'
Responding to the comment, Ronnie said: 'You can [say] sorry for making a mistake. Then you may come.'
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is a rock band formed in Middleburg, Florida, in 2003.
Ronnie is a current member alongside Joey Westwood, Josh Burke, Randy Winter, John Espy, and Nadeem Salam.
Their hits include Face Down and False Pretense, both released on their 2006 album Don't You Fake It.
