WEST HOLLYWOOD — Republicans have featured Hasan Piker in campaign ads during the 2026 US midterm elections, using his past remarks to attack Democratic candidates. The streamer’s statements, including justifications for the October 7 Hamas attacks and claims that America deserved the September 11 terrorist attacks, have drawn condemnation from leaders in both major political parties.

Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said some of Piker’s comments are "absolutely disgusting and deplorable." Martin added that Piker ""does not represent the Democratic party"" or its candidates. Former president Donald Trump called Piker a "terrible liability" who has ""a power over some of these Democrats"."

He justified the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, saying the massacre was a "direct consequence of Israeli actions." He also said regarding the attacks, ""it doesn’t matter if f–king rapes happened on Oct. 7."" He has been accused of downplaying the sexual violence committed by Hamas during those attacks, claiming that Israel had "contaminated the evidence pool."

In 2019, he said, "America deserved 9/11." He later stated that the comment was "inappropriate." In an interview, he responded to a question about whether America was worse than al-Qaida by saying, ""Pound for pound, as far as the number of deaths, yes. We have caused tremendous terror all around the world."" He stood by his claim that the U.S. is pound for pound worse than al-Qaida in terms of deaths caused.

He said, ""If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action – not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews."" He made the comment while discussing Democratic Michigan congressional candidate Jeremy Moss. Rep. Hillary Scholten condemned his remarks about American Jews and called for a clear disavowal of his rhetoric. He has denied being antisemitic and instead claims to be anti-Zionist, though he has been repeatedly accused of antisemitism, including calling Jews "psychopaths" and "inbred."

Republicans attempted to link Democratic US Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed to him after El-Sayed campaigned with him in the primary. Mike Rogers, the Republican contender for US Senate in Michigan, used his 2019 comment in an ad to attack El-Sayed. El-Sayed has distanced himself from his comments, although he has not fully denounced him. He appeared alongside Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania during the Democratic primaries.

He spoke at an event at Cornell University organized by Students for Justice in Palestine and Young Democratic Socialists of America. At the event, the moderator chanted "From the river to the sea" and the audience responded "Palestine will be free." He raised his microphone and mumbled during the chant. Cornell University agreed to pay $60 million in a settlement to the Trump administration to resolve investigations into campus antisemitism less than a year before his appearance.

The settlement resulted in around $250 million in federal research funding being unfrozen for the university. He previously spoke at the University of South California and Dartmouth University.

He told reporters correspondent Alex Thompson, ""I think Iran, much like any other sovereign nation, has a right to defend itself, regardless of its domestic policies."" He claimed the Middle East "would be more stable" if Iran had nuclear weapons. He has expressed explicit support for Hamas and other groups designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. including claiming that Hamas is "a thousand times better" than Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu singled out one of his remarks from the stage of the United Nations General Assembly.

The UK Home Office denied entry to him and Cenk Uygur earlier this year, stating their visit "may not be conducive to the public good". An ABC program featuring an interview with him led to complaints to the broadcaster in Australia in August. A photo of him nearly nude appeared on the jumbotron at the Republican midterm convention.

He said, ""Republicans believe this is an incredible narrative, for the record. They truly believe that this is successful. I’m willing to bet it’s because they’re fucking brain-poisoned by the internet."" He added, ""It’s not necessarily my affiliation that’s so negative. But more questions about me mean fewer questions about policy and their opponents. It’s a missed opportunity when they constantly have to answer ‘What about Hasan Piker?’"" He said, ""Most people on the left are in some way, shape or form connected back to my community, or myself, or organizations that I work with. This is an active way to try and eliminate a political opponent before it becomes too big of a problem for them."" He stated, ""For the election season, I have tried to be as serious as possible."" He is not campaigning for any candidate in the general election.

He is a 35-year-old socialist streamer who resides in West Hollywood. He was born in New Jersey and grew up mostly in Turkey. His parents are Turkish immigrants; his father is a political scientist and his mother is an architectural and art historian.

He interned at The Young Turks while a student at Rutgers University. Cenk Uygur co-founded The Young Turks and is his uncle. He started streaming on Twitch in 2018. He has more than 3 million followers on Twitch, nearly 2 million followers on YouTube, and nearly 2 million followers on X. He streams for seven hours nonstop each day and has accumulated approximately 22,000 hours of extemporaneous commentary. He has no elected or appointed power.

Timeline

He started streaming on Twitch in 2018. In 2019, he said, "America deserved 9/11." Republicans have featured him in campaign ads during the 2026 US midterm elections.

What's New

He has been featured in Republican campaign ads during the 2026 US midterm elections, with GOP lawmakers using his controversial statements to attack Democratic candidates like Abdul El-Sayed. He justified the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, saying the massacre was a "direct consequence of Israeli actions". He said regarding the October 7 attacks, "it doesn’t matter if f–king rapes happened on Oct. 7." He spoke at an event at Cornell University organized by Students for Justice in Palestine and Young Democratic Socialists of America.

In 2019, he apologized for saying 'America deserved 9/11,' but he later stood by his claim that the U.S. is 'pound for pound' worse than al-Qaida in terms of deaths caused. He has been accused of downplaying the sexual violence committed by Hamas during the October 7 attacks, claiming that Israel had 'contaminated the evidence pool.'

Why It Matters

The controversy surrounding him has become a focal point in the 2026 US midterm elections, with Republicans leveraging his statements to attack Democratic candidates. The scale of his influence is significant, given his millions of followers across multiple platforms and his extensive history of extemporaneous commentary. His remarks have drawn condemnation from high-profile figures in both parties, including the Democratic National Committee chair and former president Donald Trump, showing the political stakes involved.

The situation illustrates the challenges Democratic candidates face when linked to controversial online influencers. While some candidates have distanced themselves from him, the persistent use of his comments in Republican advertising suggests the issue will remain relevant throughout the election cycle. The international dimension, including the UK Home Office denying entry to him and complaints in Australia, reflects the global reach of his content and the broader implications of his rhetoric.