In a new interview with the New York Times, Dave Mustaine opened up about his political beliefs, aiming to clear up assumptions tied to his past public remarks.
Despite fan speculation, the Megadeth frontman insists he’s “not a right-winger.”
“I’m a Christian, and I answer to a different set of angels,” he said. “I obey the law, but no, I’m not a right-winger.”
Mustaine went on to say that he identifies as spiritual rather than religious, drawing a clear distinction between the two. “We used to always say that religion’s for people who are afraid of going to hell, and spirituality is for people like us who have been there,” he explained.
The same New York Times piece also included comments from Ice-T, who previously collaborated with Megadeth on the track “Night Stalkers” from their 2022 album “The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!”.
Speaking about Mustaine, Ice-T said: “I don’t know if [Mustaine is] a Trump supporter or not. I’m not, but I respect people for standing on what they stand for. Sometimes you’ll be on Twitter and you might post something, and they go, ‘Oh, wow, you agree with Dave Mustaine.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s my man.’ And then they back off.”
People’s assumptions about Mustaine’s political beliefs stem, in part, from comments he made during the 2016 presidential election when he stated that he would never vote for Hillary Clinton and called Donald Trump as “a very successful businessman.” Four years earlier, Mustaine expressed his support for Republican candidate Rick Santorum.
In 2012, the frontman attempted to clarify his political views, telling Artisan News: “I’m an independent, not a Republican — I’ve never been a Republican. I’ve always said that. I don’t belong to any party — I’m non-partisan. And for me, the sad thing is, instead of voting for the best man, I have to vote for the lesser of two evils.”
In a 2019 appearance on Ron Keel’s “Streets of Rock N Roll” radio show, Mustaine also made remarks consistent with those in his recent New York Times interview. “I’ve got this reputation that I’m a right-winger. Well, check my voting record to see that I’ve voted Democrat and Republican,” he said at the time. “And it’s just a shame that people are trying to destroy people’s careers because of a vote.”
