Eagles Of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes has denied being a Donald Trump supporter, saying fans incorrectly came to that conclusion because of his previous controversial statements.
In a recent appearance on The Bad Decisions Podcast, Hughes addressed divisive comments he’d made in the wake of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, where Islamic State group extremists stormed his band’s concert at the Bataclan, firing indiscriminately at fans trapped in the venue and blowing themselves up as police moved in, claiming 90 lives.
Asked by host Scott Michael Nathan what people got wrong about that night, he said the impact on him was often overlooked. “Well, they weren’t there, that’s one thing,” he explained (per Blabbermouth). “But also, you have to consider that I was traumatised. I was deeply traumatised, and I was very, very protective of everyone that had been there.
“So I wouldn’t say that I don’t believe the things that I said at the time, but I would definitely say that today I probably wouldn’t say them because it’s just not necessary.”
He added that he looked at it “like I’m a rock and roller”, meaning: “I don’t care who you vote for – check your politics at the door, and everyone gets to come here and shake their dick and have a good time. For whatever reason, the circumstances of my life made it so that for a moment, I didn’t have that luxury anymore.”
“Let me just put it this way: the amount of people that crawled out of the woodwork to manipulate me and use my tragedy to their benefit was endless, and it disgusted me on both sides of the aisle,” Hughes added.
Hughes has previously caused controversy with comments made about gun control, arguing that it didn’t prevent the massacre the gig back in 2015. He blamed France’s strict gun laws for allowing the shooters to go unchallenged, and then later accused some of the security guards at the famous French music venue of being in cahoots with terrorist groups.
He later spoke to Taki Magazine and said people were too afraid to speak out about terrorism in fear of seeming racist. Following that, Ismael El Iraki, a fan who attended the Bataclan gig, penned an open letter hitting out at Hughes.
“Man, I never thought that you would become one of those spreaders of fear,” he said at the time. “Fox News, Trump, all those guys. You always felt like a maverick, a rebel: we now know that you are not.”
Many drew parallels to Hughes’ suggestion that Muslim security staff were involved in the attack – comments he later apologised for – and those made by Trump after 9/11, where he said he’d seen “thousands and thousands” of people in New Jersey, “where you have large Arab populations”, celebrating the terror attack.
“Sometimes people will say I’m a Trump supporter. That is just not true,” Hughes clarified on the podcast. “I’ve never, ever, ever one time in the press ever endorsed or said that I support the man.”
“I’ve just said things that have been controversial that you could attribute maybe to one side or another. But I have a different perspective. And I still believe the things I believe, but I was able to return to a place where [you could] check your politics at the door.”
Hughes added, “Elvis said it best. I’m an entertainer, and it’s nobody’s business what I vote for, ’cause I ain’t here to tell you who to vote for.”
After Nathan noted that he is personally pro-guns and that he doesn’t have any issues with gay marriage, Hughes said: “Dude, our first album is literally the transgender flag. I don’t think anyone realises that. I grew up in Palm Springs. Nobody is more supportive of the gay community than I am, dude.
“But when everyone’s all worked up and everyone’s angry and everyone’s too busy hating, it’s difficult to see the nuances.”
Back in 2017, Hughes opened up about living with the memory of the Bataclan attack, telling Billboard that while he couldn’t see a time when the attack wasn’t in the back of his mind, living through that experience had given him new impetus to make the most of life.