Just days after praising Donald Trump as the “greatest friend to minorities”, System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan says it shouldn’t be a “shock” to fans that he doesn’t agree with Serj Tankian’s political views.
The band haven’t made music together since 2005, and several members have spoken publicly about not being able to see eye-to-eye on new music due to personal problems.
After Tankian mocked President Trump for fleeing to the internal White House bunker amidst mass protests in the name of racial injustice, Dolmayan went the other way. “My admin has done more for the Black Community than any President since Abraham Lincoln,” he said.
Now the drummer has shared a 14-minute video on social media, explaining the reasons behind his views insignificant detail, and responding to criticism and praise from fans over his comments.
“Some of you have been sending me messages — in fact, quite a few — saying that you are thankful that I get out there and I put out a viewpoint that’s a little bit different. Others of you have been upset, disappointed, and have voiced their disappointment in different ways — some have been positive and some negative,” he says in the clip.
Ultimately, he believes that fans shouldn’t be shocked or surprised that he doesn’t share the same opinions as Tankian, especially when it comes to politics.
John Dolmayan on Trump and differing political views:
“We have differing opinions in System of a Down. That shouldn’t be a shock to anybody, because you have four individuals — we’re not always like-minded and don’t always agree on everything,” Dolmayan continues.
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“But you’d be surprised at how civil our conversations are, especially between me and Serj, who seem to have the most diverging opinions on things. I have a lot of respect for Serj and his opinions, although I don’t agree with them very often these days. And that’s okay. We expand each other’s horizons — I like to think that he learns from me and I learn from him.”
Tankian recently spoke out critically about the band’s fans, saying he thinks many completely have missed the messages in their lyrics.
Check out ‘Chop Suey!’ by System Of A Down:
