It's no secret that System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan supports Donald Trump. Dolemayan’s political leanings are interesting considering System of a Down's overt left-leaning politics courtesy of vocalist Serj Tankian. So has that political difference driven a wedge between the two in recent years? According to Tankian in an interview with Forbes, not really.
"He's my brother-in-law and my drummer," said Tankian. [Tankian and Dolmayan married sisters] "Is it frustrating being politically opposite to your own drummer and brother-in-law? Fuck yeah. Of course, it's frustrating. But that's having to do with American politics. When it comes to Armenian issues, we're on the same exact page. We know what injustice is happening, we work together. We're doing different auction activities and working together on many fronts. The Armenian nation is united, whether you voted for Republican, Democrat or neither.
"But I was a Bernie [Sanders] supporter, I still am. I feel like he still would've been the best choice going forward. But I'm okay with [Joe] Biden. The elections are coming up and normally I'm very vocal, but this war and the daily death toll [in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh] has really taken up my full spectrum of focus."
The duo also recently spoke over text message about their increasingly public political views, and how they might be perceived by the public. As for a new System of a Down album, still don't bother holding your breath. While there are plenty of ideas floating around for it, the band doesn't seem like they can get on the same page.
