During an appearance on Heretics, hosted by Andrew Gold, a long-form interview podcast that explores controversial topics and unconventional perspectives, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons addressed his recent claim that he had lost several performances with his solo band because he declined to speak negatively about U.S. president Donald Trump. Gene‘s original admission came this past June during a segment on the television program “We’ll Do It LIVE” hosted by former Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly. Asked by Gold if it’s true that the gigs were scrapped because Gene said Trump was “okay”, Simmons responded: “I never actually said that. I argue with everybody about all kinds of things, but you can agree on certain things that Donald J. Trump was duly elected by more than half the population of the United States voting. He’s the president of the United States, so if you don’t like the man, you have to respect the office. And democracy, or at least American democracy, is built on the notion that every four years you can vote anybody out. Of course, the president’s not gonna be able to run again because there’s a two-term limit. Most people don’t know, during World War II, FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, served four terms, and then the loyal opposition, the other party, said, ‘No, you shouldn’t be able to. We don’t want kings here. We wanna be able to have term limits,’ which I don’t necessarily agree with, but so goes the people.”

Simmons also talked about a shift in his political beliefs over the past few decades, explaining: “Well, look, I grew up very liberal as a kid, ’cause you don’t know anything. You don’t know that there’s a thing called gravity and you gotta work for a living, ’cause you’re living in your mother’s basement. Like all the kids that used to go and try to shut down Wall Street were using cell phones to talk to their places, which was funded by Wall Street, while they’re living in their mother’s basement and while their parents are paying for their education. ‘Let’s shut the schools down.’ So as long as you’ve got that cushion, you’re not really in the real world. Once you’re out on your own, you go, ‘Oh, fuck, this is hard. I’ve gotta go, every day, whether I want to or not, and try to make money so I can buy food’ and all this stuff… So I was very liberal, very, what’s called a Democrat in America. I want nothing to do with that party now. Now that they’ve welcomed in a socialist Democrat, I’m done.”

Confirming that he is referring to New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, Gene continued: “I think Mamdani is an ethically good guy. I mean, I don’t think he’s gonna kill anybody, but I don’t agree with his politics, and I think he sounds like, business-wise, a disaster. But you know what? I hope I’m wrong, and I wish him and anybody else who defines themselves as anything I don’t agree with all the best in the world. Because there’s a lot of room in America. But it says a lot about New Yorkers and L.A. It’s the bastion of what’s called the ‘blue states’. Very liberal, very progressive, and so on. In the meantime, Texas and Florida are doing great. The crime is very low. They’re making tons of money, and L.A.’s, and New York, are in deep trouble.” (Editor’s note from Blabbermouth: According to the office of California governor Gavin Newsom, a July 2026 analysis using U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data shows California posted one of the nation’s strongest quarterly growth results, far outpacing Texas and Florida, while reinforcing its position as the world’s fourth-largest economy. California’s economy grew at a 3.7% annualized pace in the first quarter of 2026 — its best quarterly growth ranking since 2013 and one of the fastest growth rates in the nation. Meanwhile, Texas grew just 0.9% and Florida 1.6% during the same period. According to the FBI’s annual Reported Crimes in the Nation publication, which compiles data submitted by more than 17,000 law enforcement agencies covering roughly 96 percent of the U.S. population, California, the most populous state, reported the largest volume of violent crimes in 2025, with 157,828 offenses, followed by Texas with 103,827 and New York with 69,274. California’s violent crime rate stood at 402.6 per 100,000 residents, compared with 331.3 in Texas and 383.4 in New York. Florida reported 42,034 violent crimes in 2025, placing it among the states with the largest numbers of reported violent offenses.)

Asked by Gold why he thinks “socialist policies so popular with people on the left”, Simmons said: “I think they’re — and I can now say ‘they’ because of the new woke socialist Democratic Party, I want nothing to do with, and I wish everybody well. I think they’re trying to figure out why they had their asses handed to them by Donald J. Trump. Couldn’t figure it out.”

After Gold noted that Democrats will be back in power at some point, Simmons said: “I don’t know. I think if you keep pulling on the shirt sleeves of wanting things that middle America doesn’t want, they’re not gonna want that when it affects their kids. The nuclear family is still the backbone of ethics, morality and otherwise in America, even though the nuclear family’s broken. But you wanna think apple pie, mom and dad, and all that. At least it’s to be aspired to. And then there are other lifestyles. There’s they, them. There are men that believe they can give birth and all that. And I say, ‘God bless. Good luck.’ Just have to figure out whether it comes through a little pee hole or the backside. ‘Cause other than cutting yourself, I don’t know how you’re gonna give birth. But I’m all for it. I think you should go for it. I don’t think anybody should go to your face and criticize you. I might think you’re out of your fucking mind, but I’m not gonna go to your face and say that. It’s unkind.”