Ronnie Winter, lead singer of the alternative rock band The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, ignited controversy over the weekend by declaring that supporters of President Donald Trump are permanently banned from attending his shows. The message, delivered in a video posted to the band’s official Instagram, was unapologetically blunt: “If you voted for Donald Trump, do not come to my shows — forever.”
Winter didn’t stop at political affiliation — he specifically called out Christian Trump supporters:
“If you’re Christian and you voted for Donald Trump, shame on you. You are not allowed to come to my shows. I don’t want you there.”
He warned potential concertgoers that his shows would include what he described as “propaganda” rooted in the “actual words of Jesus,” and that the concert environment would promote “acceptance from all areas of life and races.” According to Winter, that vision is incompatible with Trump voters, whom he explicitly told: “Refunds are available. Forever, don’t come. Goodbye.”
Winter went so far as to disown fans of the band’s biggest hit, “Face Down,” stating, “It’s not your song. It is not your song.”
Winter doubled down on his ideology during the video, embracing the controversial label:
“The thing about being woke is you’re awake, and once you’re awake, you can never go to sleep,” he said. “Everything the woke people said would happen has happened. You have done nothing but prove them right.”
His statements reflect an increasingly militant strain of political activism among certain musicians, many of whom have begun to weaponize their platforms — and their fan bases — against conservatives.
Winter joins a growing number of artists who have publicly denounced Trump and his supporters. Bruce Springsteen has made similar political declarations during his ongoing tour, denouncing the Trump administration as “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous.”
Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello dropped expletives in reference to Trump during a recent Boston music festival, and Canadian singer Neil Young claimed he feared potential political retaliation from Trump’s camp should he tour the U.S. again.
