President Donald Trump may have notched a popular vote win, but he’s getting zero love from The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.
Lead singer Ronnie Winter ignited controversy after posting a fiery video to Instagram on June 14, directly calling out Trump supporters—and telling them to stay home.
“If you’re Christian and you’re watching this and you voted for Donald Trump, shame on you,” Winter said. “You are not allowed to come to my shows. I don’t want you there. Don’t come to my shows.”
Winter, who identifies as a Christian, delivered the message with intensity and little room for interpretation. But the band later claimed it had been intended as satire.
That reversal didn’t sit well. What started as a bold political stand quickly looked like a hasty retreat, drawing criticism from fans who felt the band folded under pressure. And in trying to douse the flames, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus may have only stoked them higher.
What did the band say next?
As the backlash picked up steam, the band tried to smooth things over with a second Instagram post that struck a drastically different tone.
“God’s invitation to LOVE into its heavenly kingdom is open to EVERYONE,” it read. “Let’s stop trying to manipulate the heavenly father’s invitation. For a second, didn’t it feel weird [not to] be invited to our events? Let it sink in, guys. Obviously, EVERYONE is invited to our events, but leave the dividing topics out.”
The backlash and the fans’ response
The walk-back didn’t exactly land, and fans weren’t buying it.
“I think a publicist told you guys to do that,” said content creator Jordy Cray (@jordycray) in a now-viral clip. “I’m not pissed, I’m just a little bit disappointed. When you have that much conviction, stand in that [expletive].”
Other fans echoed that disappointment, frustrated either by Winter’s original statement or by his apparent retreat from it.
“Stand for nothing, fall for everyone,” one TikTok user wrote.
“I will no longer be following them as a band,” another added. “I don’t care who you voted for; all should be treated equally, and that is the Christian way.”
As of Wednesday, Cray’s video had racked up more than 42,800 views, with the commenters still pouring in. The debate even spilled onto The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus’s official TikTok page, where Winter left a comment trying to clarify the situation.
@jordycray Replying to @The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Still love ya � #popculture #redjumpsuitapparatus #trump #liberal #tour #fyp ♬ original sound - jordycray
According to Winter, the now-viral deletion wasn’t damage control—it was band politics. He claimed that his brother and bandmate, guitarist Randy Winter, had made the follow-up post.
“He is also in the band and allowed to post, same as me,” Ronny Winter wrote. “I’m not walking anything back, my friend—and I’m the singer lol. If he has another point of view, that’s cool. No publicist necessary. We just accept each other as brothers.”
Who is The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, anyway?
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus has been around for over two decades, with Winter fronting the emo rock band since its formation in 2003.
Best known for their 2006 breakout hit “Face Down,” the band still tours actively and recently performed a Warped Tour set. Their next Warped date is scheduled for July 26 in Long Beach, California.
Winter isn’t new to speaking out, though. Over the years, he’s used his platform to challenge racism, homophobia, and religious hypocrisy—often drawing from his Christian beliefs to do it.
In a 2020 interview with Alternative Press, Winter called out bigotry in the church and emphasized the need for unity.
“Fear, racism, and bigotry and all kinds of ‘isms’... are meant to divide,” he said. “I want to unite everybody.”
That same energy was present in his latest Instagram video, where he defended his progressive stance in the face of criticism.
“Look, man, the thing about being woke is: you’re awake, and once you’re awake, you can never go to sleep,” he said. “And not only has nothing changed, but everything they said was going to happen, the woke people, has happened. You have done nothing but prove them right.”
In other words, Winter’s message has always been loud and unapologetic. The only question now is whether fans are still listening.
The Daily Dot has reached out to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus via an Instagram direct message.
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The post “You are not allowed to come to my shows”: Band says anyone who voted for Trump not welcome at their concerts—then immediately backtracks appeared first on The Daily Dot.