Gene Simmons beyond his music: All you need to know about KISS rocker's support for Trump and Covid-19 views
For a musical celebrity, there is always a connection to their personal lives or beliefs as well as their music as fans want to get further acquainted with their favorite artiste. Your love for their music can be endless, but once a star uses their voice away from the proverbial stage, their statements and opinions can either have you admiring them more or disliking them, to put it lightly.
We all know Gene Simmons as the legendary co-lead singer with the devilishly long tongue of glam metal band KISS, but what about his political stance? Do we agree with them and do they affect people's desire for his music? As Simmons turns 71 on Tuesday, August 25, here are some insights into his life.
An Israeli-born American musician, Simmons has always been candid about his political views as well as his love for the United States. In 2003, Simmons showed his support for the foreign policy of the George W Bush administration and the invasion of Iraq, writing on his website, "I'm ashamed to be surrounded by people calling themselves liberal who are, in my opinion, spitting on the graves of brave American soldiers who gave their life to fight a war that wasn't theirs... in a country they've never been to... simply to liberate the people therein."
In a follow-up statement, Simmons clarified his position and wrote about his love and support for the US. "I wasn't born here. But I have a love for this country and its people that knows no bounds. I will forever be grateful to America for going into World War II, when it had nothing to gain, in a country that was far away... and rescued my mother from the Nazi German concentration camps. She is alive and I am alive because of America. And, if you have a problem with America, you have a problem with me."
So, to what degree does his allyship lean exactly? Some clues can be found in who the rock star has supported for president and who he hasn't. In 2010, Simmons revealed that he regretted voting for Barack Obama and criticized the 2009 health care reforms. After Obama's 2011 speech on the Middle East where the ex-POTUS called on Israel and the Palestinians to negotiate a settlement "based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps", Simmons told CNBC that Obama's speech was unsound. "If you have never been to the moon, you can't issue policy about the moon. For the president to be sitting in Washington D.C. and saying, 'Go back to your '67 borders in Israel', how about you live there and try to defend an indefensible border, nine miles wide?" In the same interview, Simmons also said the United Nations is "the most pathetic body on the face of the earth".
Did Simmons support Trump?
Before Donald Trump (who was previously a businessman and TV personality) became America's president, Simmons backed Republican Mitt Romney for president in a 2012 interview, saying, "America should be in business and it should be run by a businessman." Fast-forward to the years surrounding the inauguration of Trump as the 45th POTUS and Simmons has occasionally revealed his support for the president. According to Blabbermouth.net, Simmons shared that he "didn't necessarily vote for President Trump or candidate [Hillary] Clinton" in the 2016 presidential election. At the time, he noted, "it's really nobody's damn business" whom he voted for, but added, "I think you'd be surprised by my choice — but he's President Trump, because even if you don't like the man, you must respect the office of the presidency and the will of the Electoral College".
When asked in an interview on CNBC in 2017 what he thinks is the most admirable quality President Trump brings to the table, Simmons said, "Let's not kid ourselves, the reason we're talking about President-Elect Trump is because he's the President-Elect. And before that, you've got to give him kudos. The guy's in it to win it, he's not a political animal and really doesn't care what you think about how he does stuff. He has no filter, it seems, and maybe as certainly a large segment of the population has been waiting for someone who just says whatever he wants to say - good, bad, or otherwise. Is it smart, is it not, I will leave it up to you to decide."
During an appearance on 'Good Morning Britain' last year, Simmons stated, "Politics has forever changed. Whether you like it or not, this president has changed it." Before the world turned into chaos, Simmons spoke about the state of the world in 2019, saying, "Earth has never been in better shape. I know — climate change and a polarized political thing — but there are no more world wars. I mean, imagine what London looked like 60 years ago. This is the best of times. Unemployment in the United States is the lowest it's been in 50 years — 5-0."
(Getty Images/Harry How)
Views on Covid-19, handshakes
In May, the singer voiced his beliefs about mask-wearing during the Covid-19 pandemic telling his followers to "respect others" and 'WEAR A MASK!" after several users on Twitter argued against it. Simmons has often defended the right for individuals to support whoever they want to support without getting backlash for it. In January, actor Vince Vaugh received harsh criticism after he was seen shaking the hand of the POTUS at a football game. Simmons was asked what he thought about it in an interview with Toofab, to which he responded, "Shake hands with whoever you like, and social media be damned. Just be yourself. Try to be honest because hopefully everybody's just not trying to be popular, get as many likes as they can on social media, that's kids' stuff."
He added, "And by the way, a lesson for everybody: Pick up an American coin. Nickel, dime, quarter. You'll notice that both sides are completely different from each other but they are part of the same coin. The people who you don't like who voted for the guy in office, it's their country too."