"They wanted a contested election" — Airborne Toxic Event frontman Mikel Jollett calls out NYT for anti-Biden crusade as he lauds the president

Airborne Toxic Event frontman Mikel Jollett recently criticized The New York Times for an article on how the Democratic Party was in "disarray" with a candidate "out of her depth." The article was published after President Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party's next Presidential candidate on July 21, 2024.

On Sunday, July 21, the musician took to social media to condemn the publishing giant for crusading to get Biden out of office, only to criticize the move when it finally happened.

Mikel Jollett added that the media wants chaos instead of a competent candidate, aiming to pit two bitter rivals against each other.

"Remember what the media wanted from all this wasn't a another candidate but CHAOS. They wanted a contested election and bitter rivals at each other's throats. Instead, they're watching an entire political party enthusiastically line up to support the next President," he tweeted.

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Mikel Jollett penned a tribute to Joe Biden after the latter withdrew from the 2024 elections

Mikel Jollett, who has been a political activist for much of his career, posted a tribute to President Joe Biden in the wake of his withdrawal from the 2024 Presidential election. On July 21, Biden announced that he would focus on his duties as President for his remaining term while endorsing Kamala Harris as the nominee for the Democratic Party.

Mikel Jollett wrote a heartwarming homage to the current President of the United States, adding that thinking of Biden made him emotional all the time.

"I can’t think about Joe Biden without tearing up a little. This man ran for president 5 times and lost then enthusiastically backed Obama and played the establishment number two to the greatest leader of his generation. He wanted to run for president in 2016 but couldn’t because his son Beau died and he was too wracked with grief," he wrote.

Jollett elaborated on how Joe Biden came back in 2020 to run against Republican nominee Donald Trump and, on winning, built the "most pro-union, pro-working class administration in 80 years" while also battling against Covid and the economic damage that Trump supposedly left behind.

He added that the media focused on Biden's age during the ongoing campaign, causing him to drop out and wholeheartedly support Kamala Harris as the new Democratic candidate.

"He’s [Biden] then betrayed by the media class and has to drop out because he’s too old for them. He steps down, for the good of the country, and immediately turns around and full-throatedly endorses the the first Black woman Presidential candidate finalist in U.S. history. This man," Mikel Jollett concluded.

Mikel Jollett has been open about his disdain for former president, Donald Trump. In a July 2020 interview with Los Angeles Magazine, the musician and memoirist called him a "s*xist, racist, homoph*bic, sh**ty man" who uprooted everything good about the US. He also added that X (then Twitter) was an outlet for him to fuel his rage and frustration at the political climate.

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Airborne Toxic Event is an American rock band founded by Mikel Jollett in 2006. The rock band is famously known for making political statements through its music, with songs like Neda, Welcome To Your Wedding Day, and The Kids Are Ready To Die.