KISS bassist Gene Simmons has said he wants "nothing to do with" the Democratic Party, describing himself as having been "very liberal" in his youth before shifting his political outlook over the decades. Speaking on Andrew Gold's Heretics podcast, Simmons addressed earlier claims that he had lost solo band bookings for refusing to criticise President Donald Trump, insisting he never called Trump "okay" but argued that the office of the presidency deserves respect regardless of personal views, given Trump's election victory.

Simmons explained his shift away from the Democrats by pointing to New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom he described as a "socialist Democrat", saying this had prompted him to abandon the party entirely, though he called Mamdani personally "ethically good" while disagreeing with his politics. He also contrasted what he called "blue states" such as New York and California unfavourably with Texas and Florida on economic grounds, though editorial notes accompanying the piece cite Governor Gavin Newsom's office pointing to data showing California's economy grew 3.7% annualised in early 2026, its strongest quarterly performance since 2013.