- Lewis was labeled ‘despicable and pathetic’ by animal rights organization PETA and criticized by fans
- He took the photo in Texas to promote his current tour
- Lewis is a conservative singer who has been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump
Stain frontman Aaron Lewis has been criticized after posting an image of 32 dead Coyotes on his Instagram with the caption “Trump 24.”
The 51-year-old rocker turned country singer was branded “terrible and sick” during the display he shared on Wednesday.
A vocal conservative, Lewis has long been an admirer of Donald Trump and supported him during the 2016 presidential election.
The photo was intended to promote his upcoming solo US tour to his 476,000 followers.
He captioned the image: “Successful morning in Texas. Pre-sales for AFL 2024 dates start today. Use code AFL2024 to gain priority access before tickets go on sale this Friday.”
Stain frontman Aaron Lewis has been criticized by PETA after sharing a photo describing Trump 24 using dead coyotes
But instead, the stunt has drawn fierce reactions, including from animal rights organization PETA.
Senior Vice President Lisa Lange said, “How disgusting and pathetic that a washed-up musician, desperate for relevance, terrorized and killed animals to get a taste of the attention he clearly craves.”
“Like the dogs that share our homes, coyotes feel pain and fear and love their families, and because they are one of the few species found in almost every U.S. state, they are beloved by many as America’s ‘singing dog.’
“PETA encourages Aaron Lewis to raise awareness through an act of kindness, rather than slaughtering individuals who are simply trying to make a living in an increasingly hardened world.”
His actions also caused a stir in the comments section of the post.
One Instagram user wrote: ‘You are SICK Aaron.’, while another posted ‘what a creep’.
A woman who identified herself as a Republican said, “I don’t care if this is legal or not, I find this very disturbing.
“It takes a very bad heart to do this. Unfollow and I hope you lose a lot of fans. I won’t give up any mother for you.’
The guitarist (pictured center with the rest of Staind) describes himself as conservative and is a vocal supporter of Donald Trump
Animal lovers flooded Lewis’s Instagram page with angry comments after he shared the post from Texas on Wednesday
Instagram users were quick to condemn the stunt, which was intended to promote Lewis’ current solo tour
Another commenter wrote: ‘Playing with dead animals is grotesque. What a way to get attention’.
While another branded the move as ‘animal sacrifice’. He said: “Politics aside, this is cult-like behaviour. Who kills animals and rebrands it in someone’s name? This is animal sacrifice.”
But not everyone condemned Lewis’ actions, with many pointing out that coyotes are troublesome predators.
One fan wrote: ‘Thank you for harvesting predators that are out of control. You save our farm animals, pets and edible game. I can’t wait for the show tonight.’
Another added: ‘Isn’t it funny how this has the townspeople all in an uproar? To all the whiners: These are all coyotes!
‘They attack and kill your pets and very expensive farm animals! This is population control. It is necessary to protect other animals. You love animals, right?
“Well, they’re literally protecting a lot of animals by removing these coyotes. Now go sip your soy latte and whine about the bad people with bangs.”
In Texas, coyotes are not classified as a game species, meaning they can be hunted year-round with a permit. Lewis was in the state as part of his solo acoustic tour.
In 2019, the rocker made headlines after storming off stage because the crowd was too loud.