Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Hasan Piker told Axios the US has caused more terrorism than al-Qaeda "pound for pound." The full episode added more contested claims -- on Iran's nuclear programme, Mao Zedong, China and Zionism -- and drew condemnation from both parties.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
In an interview for "The Axios Show" conducted by Alex Thompson, Hasan Piker was asked whether America commits more terrorism than the organization behind the September 11 attacks and answered "Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes," adding that the United States has "caused tremendous terror all around the world." He cited a U.S. missile strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, and said the analysis does not justify the September 11 attacks. Excerpts published September 17, 2026 also carried his view that the Middle East would be more stable if Iran had a nuclear weapon, while he said he does not want Iran, the United States, Russia or China to possess nuclear arms and was not advocating Iranian armament. The full episode, published September 18, added further contested claims: that Mao Zedong was "a great man of history" whose "excesses" were "deaths born out of mismanagement and famine"; that a Chinese child may have better conditions than an American one within two decades; that "Zionism is fascism" and that he is not worried his audience would turn violent against Zionists; and that Israel "in its current formation" should not be a U.S. ally. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan for whom Piker campaigned in the primary, rejected the al-Qaeda comparison. The dispute is whether these claims are defensible analysis of U.S., Middle Eastern and Chinese policy or indefensible positions, and what they mean for the candidates associated with him.
Read the full background
Piker's answer came in response to a direct question from Axios about whether America commits more terrorism than the organization behind the September 11 attacks. In the same interview he cited a U.S. missile strike that hit an elementary school in Minab, Iran, saying "if you're killing 140 schoolgirls, that is an act of terror," while adding that this "doesn't mean that all Americans are terrorists."
The strike itself is well evidenced. The Associated Press found evidence that at least one U.S. missile struck the school, Bellingcat geolocated video that munitions experts identify as a Tomahawk, Amnesty International concluded the United States was responsible, and on September 17 a United Nations fact-finding mission said it had reasonable grounds to believe the United States carried out the strike and that this amounted to the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks. A finding of reasonable grounds is not a determination of guilt. The Trump administration has denied responsibility and has not released the findings of a Pentagon review.
Piker's figure of 140 schoolgirls matches no published count. No official death toll exists; reported tolls range from about 150 to 175 people killed in total, and breakdowns published in Iran record boys, teachers and parents among the dead alongside girls. Sources also conflict on whether the school was girls-only. The underlying point that a U.S. strike killed a large number of schoolchildren is supported; the specific figure and its composition are not.
Piker also addressed his 2019 remark that "America deserved 9/11," for which he has apologised and which he has described as blowback from decades of U.S. involvement in the Middle East. He told Axios "this doesn't justify the action, mind you," describing the point as analysis intended to prevent further violence. This case records that characterisation as his, not as a finding about his earlier remark.
Axios framed the interview's significance through the Michigan Senate race, where Piker campaigned for Abdul El-Sayed in the Democratic primary and where, according to AdImpact data reported by Axios, Republican-aligned groups have spent nearly $3 million on advertising targeting El-Sayed over the association. El-Sayed's rejection of the comparison is recorded here; the separate dispute over whether Mike Rogers's 9/11 accusation against El-Sayed is fair is covered in its own case.
The comparison rests on death tolls, and as of September 18 no fact-checking organisation had published an assessment of it. The figures most often cited on each side measure different things. Brown University's Costs of War project counted at least 408,749 civilians killed directly in the post-9/11 war zones as of its August 2026 update, but that total covers deaths caused by all parties to those wars, not deaths caused by U.S. forces. Airwars, which tracks civilian harm from U.S. strikes specifically, estimated in 2021 that U.S. strikes had likely killed between 22,679 and 48,308 civilians across seven countries since 2001, a figure limited to direct strike harm. On the other side, a 2024 Fondapol study counted 14,856 deaths from attacks by al-Qaeda and its offshoots since 1979, while narrower counts restricted to core al-Qaeda run to a few thousand. Whether the comparison holds therefore turns on which measure is used and whether affiliates are counted on either side. This case records the competing figures and does not adjudicate the comparison.
This case covers more than one claim from the same interview. Alongside the al-Qaeda comparison, Piker told Axios he believes the Middle East would be more stable if Iran had a nuclear weapon, while saying he does not want Iran, America, Russia or China to hold nuclear arms and that he was not advocating for Iranian armament. The full 56-minute episode, published September 18 and conducted by Alex Thompson, added further contested claims on Mao Zedong, China's trajectory, Zionism, Gaza and whether Israel should remain a U.S. ally; Thompson pressed Piker throughout, including on Amnesty International's findings about China's treatment of Uyghurs. Each recorded response is classified against the specific claim it addresses, which its own rationale names; there is no single proposition running across every record here.
People in this case
Hasan PikerDirectly involved
Kyle KulinskiCommented
JB PritzkerCommented
Francesca FiorentiniCommented
Timeline
16 timeline entries on this page. Dates: September 17, 2026 to October 7, 2026
September 2026
UN fact-finding mission reports on the Minab school strike Piker cites
Source release
On the same day as the interview, the United Nations fact-finding mission on Iran reported that it had reasonable grounds to believe the United States carried out the two-tap strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab and that this constituted the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks. The strike is the example Piker gives as the basis for his comparison. A finding of reasonable grounds is not a determination of guilt, the Pentagon has not released its own review, and no official death toll exists.
[01]NPR: UN fact-finding mission on alleged US war crimes in the Iran war
Source excerpt
the mission found reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks resulting in the loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects
Report of the United Nations fact-finding mission on Iran, published 17 September 2026, the same day as Piker's interview. It bears directly on the strike he cites as the basis for his comparison, finding reasonable grounds to believe the United States conducted the two-tap strike on the Minab school and that this constituted a war crime. A finding of reasonable grounds is not a legal determination of guilt. The Pentagon has not released the findings of its own administrative review and no official death toll exists; reported tolls range from about 150 to 175 dead, and breakdowns published by Iranian outlets include boys, teachers and parents as well as girls.
NPR: UN fact-finding mission on alleged US war crimes in the Iran warFinding on the Minab school strikeAxios publishes the interview in which Piker says the U.S. is worse than al-Qaeda
Incident
Axios published a teaser clip and accompanying article from Alex Thompson's interview with Hasan Piker for "The Axios Show," recorded in Los Angeles. Asked whether America commits more terrorism than the organization behind the September 11 attacks, Piker answered "Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes," and said the United States has "caused tremendous terror all around the world." He cited a U.S. missile strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, said that killing 140 schoolgirls is an act of terror while adding that this does not make all Americans terrorists, and described his earlier remarks on the September 11 attacks as blowback analysis that "doesn't justify the action." The casualty figure is his.
[02]Axios: "Hasan Piker on 'The Axios Show': America worse than al-Qaeda 'pound for pound'"
Source excerpt
Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes.
Axios write-up of an exclusive interview with Hasan Piker for a new episode of "The Axios Show," datelined Los Angeles and published September 17, 2026. Asked whether America commits more terrorism than the organization behind the September 11 attacks, Piker answered "Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes" and added "We have caused tremendous terror all around the world." The piece's "why it matters" section ties the remarks to Republican attacks in the Michigan Senate race after Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed had Piker campaign for him in the primary. The published article is brief; fuller quotation from the same interview is carried in TheWrap's report.
[03]TheWrap: "Hasan Piker Stands by Calling America the 'Top Dog in Terrorism' in Contentious Interview"
Source excerpt
I do not agree with this statement, nor do I give much weight to the statements made by a social media streamer.
TheWrap report of September 17, 2026 carrying fuller quotation from Piker's Axios interview than the Axios article itself, including his citation of a U.S. missile strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, and his statement that the analysis "doesn't justify" the September 11 attacks. It also carries Abdul El-Sayed's full statement to Axios rejecting the comparison, and his separate Fox 2 Detroit debate remarks of September 15 on why he engages with Piker. It notes the Associated Press found evidence at least one U.S. missile struck the school, that the Trump administration has not released the Pentagon investigation's findings, and that the death toll remains unknown; the 140 figure is Piker's.
El-Sayed rejects the comparison in a statement to Axios
Reaction
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan for whom Piker campaigned during the primary, told Axios he did not agree with the statement and did not give much weight to statements made by a social media streamer, redirecting to what he called the dangerous policies of Donald Trump and Mike Rogers on the cost of gas, groceries and health care in Michigan.
[03]TheWrap: "Hasan Piker Stands by Calling America the 'Top Dog in Terrorism' in Contentious Interview"
Source excerpt
I do not agree with this statement, nor do I give much weight to the statements made by a social media streamer.
TheWrap report of September 17, 2026 carrying fuller quotation from Piker's Axios interview than the Axios article itself, including his citation of a U.S. missile strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, and his statement that the analysis "doesn't justify" the September 11 attacks. It also carries Abdul El-Sayed's full statement to Axios rejecting the comparison, and his separate Fox 2 Detroit debate remarks of September 15 on why he engages with Piker. It notes the Associated Press found evidence at least one U.S. missile struck the school, that the Trump administration has not released the Pentagon investigation's findings, and that the death toll remains unknown; the 140 figure is Piker's.
Piker accuses Axios of clickbaiting a nuanced answer
Claim
Responding on X to the teaser clip, Piker accused Axios of "farming the interview" and turning what he called a nuanced answer about acts of terror into clickbait. He did not withdraw the comparison, restating the substance by citing U.S. arming of al-Qaeda since the September 11 attacks and saying a former al-Qaeda commander became president of Syria. Those historical characterisations are his own.
[04]Hasan Piker says Axios "clickbaited" his answer
Source excerpt
i give a nuanced answer about acts of terror this admin has caused and they clickbait it.
First-party post from Hasan Piker's verified X account, posted September 17, 2026 in reply to the teaser clip Axios published from his interview on "The Axios Show." He accuses Axios of "farming the interview" and turning a nuanced answer into clickbait, and restates the substance by citing U.S. arming of al-Qaeda since 9/11 and the former commander who became president of Syria. Those historical characterisations are his. Fox News's "Outnumbered" quoted the post the same day.
Rising panel debates the comparison and how Axios framed it
Reaction
The panel disagrees about Piker's comparison and whether Axios sought a sensational exchange. One participant calls for a substantive discussion of U.S. counterterrorism policy while criticizing his phrasing. Another rejects the comparison and says El-Sayed must answer for campaigning with him.
[05]Hasan Piker: America WORSE than AL-QAEDA 'pound for pound' | RISING
The Rising panel disagrees about Piker's comparison, media framing and candidates' responsibility for campaign guests.
Hasan Piker: America WORSE than AL-QAEDA 'pound for pound' | RISING01:21-10:14; competing assessments at04:18-05:14 and06:00-09:48Finney and Arm debate Piker's influence after the Axios interview
Reaction
Karen Finney questions media attention to Piker and his authority within the party. Jesse Arm rejects his remarks and argues that campaigning with El-Sayed established political influence. Finney also criticizes Piker.
[06]The Lead with Jake Tapper, September 17, 2026, second hour
Separate discussions address Piker's influence and the interview.
The Lead with Jake Tapper, September 17, 2026, second hour18:35-18:45 panel; 18:50-18:55 Stevens interviewAxios publishes the full episode, adding Mao, China, Zionism and Israel
Source release
The full episode of “The Axios Show” was published, carrying material the previous day's teaser clip had not. In it Piker called Mao Zedong “a great man of history” whose achievements were “unbelievably impressive” while calling the Cultural Revolution “an abject disaster”; said a Chinese child may have better living conditions than an American one within the decade; said “I believe Zionism is fascism”; and said Israel “in its current formation” should not be a United States ally. The episode also covers Gaza, Tibet, and whether his own rhetoric could incite violence. Each answer is recorded separately as a statement in this case. The Mao and Israel passages are what most of the day's criticism turned on.
[07]"Hasan Piker on political violence, Israel and why he praises China" -- full Axios Show episode (YouTube)
Source excerpt
I jokingly told my audience, I was like, I'll never make fun of Mao Zedong. He's a great man of history. Of course, there were a lot of excesses. -- What do you mean by excesses? -- Deaths. They're born out of mismanagement and famine.
Full 56-minute episode of "The Axios Show," published September 18, 2026, interviewer Alex Thompson, taped in Los Angeles. Quotations checked against the recording; Available captions for this episode garble proper nouns badly ("Mao Dong," "Shing Jang," "Assan Biker," "Nithia Ramen") and should not be relied on for wording. Thompson pushes back throughout, reading Piker's past statements back to him and citing Amnesty International on China's treatment of Uyghurs, to which Piker replies that he is "very familiar" and has "criticized it a lot."
"Hasan Piker on political violence, Israel and why he praises China" -- full Axios Show episode (YouTube)08:57-09:24 Israel as ally; 32:09-32:38 Zionism and fascism; 33:42-34:07 whether his rhetoric could incite violence; 34:34-34:49 Gaza and the Holocaust; 36:36-36:55 China trajectory; 41:33-42:27 and 44:48-46:06 Mao Zedong; 52:33-54:14 TibetPiker says he regrets the phrasing but stands by the claim
Claim
Streaming under the title “Axios interviewer tried to get me cancelled,” Piker said he regretted using the words “pound for pound” but maintained that what he had said was truthful, and read out a viewer comment defending the phrasing. The retraction is of wording rather than of the comparison; his position on the substance is unchanged from the previous day.
[08]Hasan Piker, "AXIOS INTERVIEWER TRIED TO GET ME CANCELLED" (YouTube)
Source excerpt
[It] would have been probably better if I just didn't do the interview at all. Having said that, it certainly would have been better if I didn't say pound for pound.
Hasan Piker's own 67-minute response video, published to his YouTube channel September 18, 2026, reacting to the Axios interview and the backlash. Quotations checked against the recording rather than taken from available captions, which garble proper nouns ("Hassan," "Abdullah al-Sayed," "Min-Up" for Minab); proper nouns are corrected here to the names actually spoken. The Washington Examiner's independent rendering of the same passage matches this quoted wording closely -- "Would have been probably better if I just didn't do the interview at all"; "Perhaps someone with a name like Hasan who is being aggressively slammed into the campaign of a guy who's named Abdul should not be saying those things"; "Regardless, I'm too hard-headed and too stubborn to a fault, especially when it comes to analysis and perspective" -- corroborating the wording recorded here. A separate rendering carried by Deltia's Gaming smooths his false starts. Note that at roughly 03:33-04:30 the video replays the original Axios audio, and at roughly 22:24 Piker reads aloud a viewer's comment defending his use of "pound for pound" -- neither passage is his own new speech.
Hasan Piker, "AXIOS INTERVIEWER TRIED TO GET ME CANCELLED" (YouTube)01:36-02:15 (partial regret); 04:30-04:51 (maintains the claim is truthful); 22:24-22:46 (reads a viewer comment defending the phrasing)Democrats distance themselves while commentators on the left blame Axios
Reaction
Criticism divided along two lines. Congressman Ritchie Torres said Piker condemns America while “lionizing Mao,” joining other Democratic officeholders quoted criticising him. Arguing the other way, Mike Figueredo of The Humanist Report said Axios had “farmed outrage” from the interview and that the al-Qaeda comparison was raised by the interviewer rather than volunteered by Piker. The motive Figueredo attributes to Axios is his own characterisation.
[09]Some Democrats Bash Hasan Piker (The Daily Signal)
Source excerpt
"Piker condemns America while refusing to condemn one of the 20th century's deadliest dictators, instead lionizing Mao as one of the world's 'great leaders,'" he continued.
Daily Signal report on Democratic officials criticising Piker after the Axios interview, quoting Reps. Ritchie Torres and Josh Gottheimer. The piece states Gottheimer's remarks were made on X; it does not explicitly name the venue for Torres's remarks, which are introduced only as what Torres "added." Torres's characterisation of Piker's position on Mao is his own.
[10]"Axios & MS NOW Cynically Farm Outrage Off of Hasan Piker Interviews" (The Humanist Report)
Source excerpt
If you'll recall, Hasan didn't even bring up al-Qaeda on his own volition. It was the interviewer who chose to invoke al-Qaeda.
26-minute commentary video from progressive YouTube show The Humanist Report, published September 18, 2026, defending Piker and accusing Axios and MS NOW of manufacturing outrage. Quotations are our transcription of the video audio. Figueredo's characterisation of Axios's motives is his own assertion, not an established finding.
"Axios & MS NOW Cynically Farm Outrage Off of Hasan Piker Interviews" (The Humanist Report)04:48-05:09 substance of the claim; 12:18-12:29 who raised al-Qaeda; 13:04-13:31 motive attributed to AxiosPiker discusses the fallout with Jon Lovett
Reaction
Appearing on Lovett or Leave It, Piker told Jon Lovett that “the problem isn't necessarily what I'm saying. The problem is that I become a distraction.” Lovett said he took the point but questioned where that standard leads. The exchange is the closest Piker comes during the dispute to accepting the argument his critics had been making about his effect on the candidates he supports, and he does so without withdrawing any of the claims.
[11]Lovett or Leave It: “Jon Lovett & Hasan Piker on Macklemore, Trump’s Economy & Republican Media”
Source excerpt
There’s all these headlines going around — you know, the US is pound for pound worse than al-Qaeda is one of the ones that’s going around. And then you look into what you’re saying, I understand the point that you’re making. … But as you have a bigger platform now, do you think to yourself, you know what, the most helpful and persuasive way for me to make this argument to the people that will hear it is not to be so antagonistic in the framing?
Weekly comedy and politics podcast, published 18 September 2026, running 1:03:42, with Hasan Piker as the interview guest. The opening monologue is satirical; the Piker interview is straightforward. The quoted wording is our transcription of the video audio. The episode’s own chapter markers identify the Macklemore and Ed Sheeran segment and the Piker interview.
Lovett or Leave It: “Jon Lovett & Hasan Piker on Macklemore, Trump’s Economy & Republican Media”08:35–11:39 (Macklemore and Ed Sheeran monologue); 14:28–34:44 (interview with Hasan Piker), with the exchange on the Axios interview at approximately 27:00–29:00.Dan Turrentine urges Democrats to confront Piker after the interview
Reaction
In his own essay, Dan Turrentine criticizes Piker's interview remarks and argues that Democratic leaders must state which views fall outside the party's boundaries. He acknowledges the electoral calculation behind avoiding a confrontation before the midterms but calls for an explicit rejection.
[12]Hasan Piker Tomorrow
Turrentine criticizes Piker's interview and urges Democratic leaders to draw public boundaries around acceptable rhetoric.
Hasan Piker TomorrowDiscussion of Democratic responses to the interview and the concluding demand to confront PikerTrump is asked about Piker in the Oval Office
Reaction
Asked by a reporter about the condemnations of Piker by leading Democrats and whether he thought Piker a liability for the party, President Trump said he did, called him “a terrible liability” and a communist, and said Piker's statements were “so bad” that he could not understand Jewish voters supporting Democrats. He named none of the interview's specific claims. The clip circulated afterwards omits the reporter's question; the question is preserved in a recording of the broadcast, and it is what establishes that the exchange was about this dispute.
[13]Oval Office remarks: Trump asked about Hasan Piker (Fox News broadcast capture)
Source excerpt
Mr. President, many leading Democrats have condemned Hasan Piker. What is your take on him and do you think he’s a liability for Democrats? — I do. I think he’s a terrible liability. I think he’s got a power over some of these Democrats and he will vote that way. He’s a communist. There’s no question about it.
Broadcast capture carrying the full Oval Office exchange, including the reporter’s question, which the widely circulated clips omit. The question is premised on the condemnations of Piker by leading Democrats during the week of the Axios Show interview; several of those condemnations — Fetterman, Dingell, Torres, Gottheimer and El-Sayed — are recorded separately in this case. The hour immediately preceding this broadcast on the same network was given over to the Axios interview, including Piker’s al-Qaeda, Iran and China answers. Quotation is from closed-caption text, which is transmitted in lower case and lightly imperfect; capitalisation has been normalised and nothing else altered.
Oval Office remarks: Trump asked about Hasan Piker (Fox News broadcast capture)Approx. 1:11–1:12 into the recording; closed-caption text of the Oval Office pool exchange.[14]Fox News on X: Trump says Piker’s political influence is a problem for Democrats
Source excerpt
“He’s a terrible liability. He’s got a power over some of these Democrats.” “He’s a communist, there’s no question about it.”
The network’s own published rendering of the remarks, posted about half an hour after the exchange. It compresses the answer slightly, dropping the two “I think” qualifiers present in the broadcast captions, and omits the reporter’s question.
Fox News on X: Trump says Piker’s political influence is a problem for DemocratsFull text of the post.Fox News opens The Five with a twelve-minute segment on Piker
Reaction
The Five gave its opening segment to the interview, playing the Axios clips on Iran and on Mao alongside Trump's Oval Office remarks. Martha MacCallum set Piker's “regardless of their domestic policies” against a list of the Iranian government's conduct; Johnny “Joey” Jones said Piker takes radical ideas and makes them palatable, and argued the case for challenging birthright citizenship; Harold Ford Jr., a Democratic former congressman, said nobody in either party “in their right mind” subscribes to the views; Kellyanne Conway said Abdul El-Sayed should disavow Piker as some Democrats had distanced themselves from Graham Platner; and Tom Shillue called Piker “ridiculous” but rejected the demand that El-Sayed denounce him. Each is recorded separately as a statement.
[15]Fox News
Source excerpt
But he says regardless of their domestic policies, they should have a weapon.
Fox News' own recording of the twelve-minute opening segment of The Five for 18 September 2026, in which the panel discusses Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview. The segment plays the Axios clips of Piker on Iran's nuclear programme and on Mao Zedong, and the Oval Office exchange in which President Trump called Piker "a terrible liability." This locator carries MacCallum's reply to the Iran clip, delivered as she hands the discussion to Joey Jones.. Speakers were identified from the broadcast itself: MacCallum names the panel in the opening line and hands to each of them by name, and each speaker was confirmed on camera at their locator. Fox's own @TheFive account attributes the closing lines of this passage to Jones, and Fox's page for the segment attributes "the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be infiltrated by influencers" to Conway.
The Five: Martha MacCallum on Piker's Iran answer · Fox News00:02:23-00:03:12[16]Fox News
Source excerpt
And then he comes back here to partake in capitalism and talk bad about it.
Fox News' own recording of the twelve-minute opening segment of The Five for 18 September 2026, in which the panel discusses Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview. The segment plays the Axios clips of Piker on Iran's nuclear programme and on Mao Zedong, and the Oval Office exchange in which President Trump called Piker "a terrible liability." This locator carries Jones's answer in full, from his characterisation of Piker's Mao remarks to his argument about birthright citizenship.. Speakers were identified from the broadcast itself: MacCallum names the panel in the opening line and hands to each of them by name, and each speaker was confirmed on camera at their locator. Fox's own @TheFive account attributes the closing lines of this passage to Jones, and Fox's page for the segment attributes "the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be infiltrated by influencers" to Conway.
The Five: Johnny "Joey" Jones on Piker's Mao and Iran remarks · Fox News00:04:05-00:04:49[17]Fox News
Source excerpt
No Democrat, no Republican, no progressive Democrat or liberal Democrat in their right mind subscribes to any of this.
Fox News' own recording of the twelve-minute opening segment of The Five for 18 September 2026, in which the panel discusses Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview. The segment plays the Axios clips of Piker on Iran's nuclear programme and on Mao Zedong, and the Oval Office exchange in which President Trump called Piker "a terrible liability." This locator carries Ford's reply immediately after the Mao clip is played. Ford posted this same segment to his own X account the evening it aired.. Speakers were identified from the broadcast itself: MacCallum names the panel in the opening line and hands to each of them by name, and each speaker was confirmed on camera at their locator. Fox's own @TheFive account attributes the closing lines of this passage to Jones, and Fox's page for the segment attributes "the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be infiltrated by influencers" to Conway.
The Five: Harold Ford Jr. on Piker's remarks about Mao Zedong · Fox News00:05:57-00:06:25[18]Fox News
Source excerpt
Here's the problem with Piker: the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be infiltrated by influencers and streamers and to live online.
Fox News' own recording of the twelve-minute opening segment of The Five for 18 September 2026, in which the panel discusses Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview. The segment plays the Axios clips of Piker on Iran's nuclear programme and on Mao Zedong, and the Oval Office exchange in which President Trump called Piker "a terrible liability." This locator carries Conway's reply to Ford, which turns from Piker to El-Sayed's refusal to disavow him. Fox titled its page for this segment after the closing sentence of this passage.. Speakers were identified from the broadcast itself: MacCallum names the panel in the opening line and hands to each of them by name, and each speaker was confirmed on camera at their locator. Fox's own @TheFive account attributes the closing lines of this passage to Jones, and Fox's page for the segment attributes "the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be infiltrated by influencers" to Conway.
The Five: Kellyanne Conway on Piker and Abdul El-Sayed · Fox News00:08:28-00:09:27[19]Fox News
Source excerpt
Obviously, Hasan Piker is ridiculous. He is a podcaster, he's provocative, he does that, that's his game.
Fox News' own recording of the twelve-minute opening segment of The Five for 18 September 2026, in which the panel discusses Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview. The segment plays the Axios clips of Piker on Iran's nuclear programme and on Mao Zedong, and the Oval Office exchange in which President Trump called Piker "a terrible liability." This locator carries Shillue's answer, which treats Piker as a provocateur and redirects the dispute to El-Sayed's own record.. Speakers were identified from the broadcast itself: MacCallum names the panel in the opening line and hands to each of them by name, and each speaker was confirmed on camera at their locator. Fox's own @TheFive account attributes the closing lines of this passage to Jones, and Fox's page for the segment attributes "the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be infiltrated by influencers" to Conway.
The Five: Tom Shillue on the demands that El-Sayed denounce Piker · Fox News00:11:10-00:11:59Newsweek interviews experts on the legal distinctions behind Piker's comparison
Reaction
Geoffrey Corn and Bruce Hoffman challenge a comparison based on death counts, pointing to intent and distinctions between war, terrorism and state terror. Mary Ellen O'Connell instead emphasizes whether the underlying use of force is lawful and argues that the Iran strikes were unlawful.
[20]What Is Terrorism? Hasan Piker's Controversial Al-Qaeda Remarks Dissected
The report presents competing expert interpretations of Piker's comparison, rather than a shared legal definition.
What Is Terrorism? Hasan Piker's Controversial Al-Qaeda Remarks DissectedInterviews with Geoffrey Corn, Bruce Hoffman and Mary Ellen O'Connell, especially Intent, Not Body Count and Why State Terrorism Never Made It Into LawHutch publishes a critique of Piker's death-count comparison
Source release
Hutch argues that total deaths are an inadequate moral comparison and distinguishes intentional attacks on civilians from other civilian harm. He acknowledges U.S. atrocities and calls for accountability, while recognizing disagreement over definitions of terrorism. The upload presents his September 18reaction stream.
[21]Hasan's Gross MELDOWN During Axios Interview
The upload presents Hutch's September 18stream. Replayed Axios footage is distinct from his commentary.
Hasan's Gross MELDOWN During Axios Interview48:45-01:05:16; own analysis at 51:31-55:17 and55:56-01:05:16
October 2026
CNN reports El-Sayed privately challenged Piker's rhetoric
Source release
CNN reported that Abdul El-Sayed asked Hasan Piker to stop rhetoric that could cost votes, citing two people El-Sayed told about their conversation. CNN did not give the call date. Piker did not respond to its request for comment. The account remains attributed to CNN's sources.
[22]CNN
CNN attributes the private conversation to two people El-Sayed told about it. The conversation date is unspecified. The report establishes the publication, not independent verification of the call.
CNN reports a private El-Sayed conversation with Hasan Piker · CNNSection: I am the Democrat that Democrats have; closing paragraphs about Piker
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What's disputed
Disputed claim
The United States commits more terrorism than al-Qaeda, pound for pound as measured by the number of deaths.
Disputed claim
A United States missile strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran killed 140 schoolgirls.
Disputed claim
The United States has armed al-Qaeda since September 11, 2001, and made its former commander the president of Syria.
Disputed claim
The Middle East would be more stable if Iran possessed a nuclear weapon.
Sources (2)
- Alex Thompson posts Piker's full answer on Iran and nuclear weapons1:40 clip posted by the interviewer, described as Piker's full answer.
- CNN "The Lead": Piker tells Axios the Middle East "would be more stable" if Iran had a nuclear weapon2:40 clip. 00:17–01:03: Alex Thompson asks whether Iran should be free to build a nuclear weapon and Piker answers; 01:03–01:24: the stability question and Piker's answer with his qualifiers; 01:24–01:42: Piker on the nuclear conversation as leverage for sanctions relief; 01:46 onward: Thompson's analysis of the political effect on Democrats.
Disputed claim
Mao Zedong was a great man of history, and the deaths attributed to him were excesses born out of mismanagement and famine.
Sources (1)
- "Hasan Piker on political violence, Israel and why he praises China" -- full Axios Show episode (YouTube)08:57-09:24 Israel as ally; 32:09-32:38 Zionism and fascism; 33:42-34:07 whether his rhetoric could incite violence; 34:34-34:49 Gaza and the Holocaust; 36:36-36:55 China trajectory; 41:33-42:27 and 44:48-46:06 Mao Zedong; 52:33-54:14 Tibet
Show fewer disputed claims
Disputed claim
A Chinese child may have better living conditions than an American one within the next decade or two.
Sources (1)
- "Hasan Piker on political violence, Israel and why he praises China" -- full Axios Show episode (YouTube)08:57-09:24 Israel as ally; 32:09-32:38 Zionism and fascism; 33:42-34:07 whether his rhetoric could incite violence; 34:34-34:49 Gaza and the Holocaust; 36:36-36:55 China trajectory; 41:33-42:27 and 44:48-46:06 Mao Zedong; 52:33-54:14 Tibet
Disputed claim
Zionism is fascism.
Sources (1)
- "Hasan Piker on political violence, Israel and why he praises China" -- full Axios Show episode (YouTube)08:57-09:24 Israel as ally; 32:09-32:38 Zionism and fascism; 33:42-34:07 whether his rhetoric could incite violence; 34:34-34:49 Gaza and the Holocaust; 36:36-36:55 China trajectory; 41:33-42:27 and 44:48-46:06 Mao Zedong; 52:33-54:14 Tibet
Disputed claim
Israel in its current formation should not be an ally of the United States, by the same standard that would apply to Saudi Arabia and other authoritarian states.
Sources (1)
- "Hasan Piker on political violence, Israel and why he praises China" -- full Axios Show episode (YouTube)08:57-09:24 Israel as ally; 32:09-32:38 Zionism and fascism; 33:42-34:07 whether his rhetoric could incite violence; 34:34-34:49 Gaza and the Holocaust; 36:36-36:55 China trajectory; 41:33-42:27 and 44:48-46:06 Mao Zedong; 52:33-54:14 Tibet
Disputed claim
Piker’s comparison of the United States to al-Qaeda is wrong, and the statements of a social media streamer do not warrant much weight.
Response record
Responses
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
40 responses. First 6 shown initially. Newest first.
Kyle KulinskiPolitical commentator writing in Current AffairsBefore this statement
After reproducing the exchange, Kulinski criticizes the reaction to Piker's answer.
"everything that Hasan said there is 100 percent factually true."
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Kulinski argues that U.S. attacks, sanctions and military support justify the comparison. He urges El-Sayed to defend the argument rather than distance himself. His characterizations of those actions are his own.
After the statement
He cites U.S. foreign policy and argues that critics have not rebutted the comparison.
Yes, The U.S. Is The World's Biggest TerroristParagraph beginning "Now let's be clear," and the concluding advice to El-SayedWhy this label?
Reference point: the U.S.-al-Qaeda comparison. Defends or excuses: Kulinski expressly endorses it. Challenges characterization is the closest alternative, but he supports the comparison itself.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
JB PritzkerGovernor of Illinois (D), interviewed on ABC's This WeekBefore this statement
Host Jonathan Karl described Piker as suggesting it would be better if Iran had a nuclear weapon and as saying that America is a bigger terrorist force than al-Qaeda, and asked Pritzker whether it is time for Democrats to say they have nothing to do with Piker, denounce him and not want his support. Between the quoted passages, Karl noted that Piker has a large following and asked whether Pritzker would accept Piker's support.
"You know, I'm not focused on the streamers and what they're saying. There's a whole lot of them, and they got a whole lot of views. I'm just saying that what I think we should be talking about and focused on is how do we stop Donald Trump in his tracks? How do we make sure that we're putting forward an agenda that really fights for the people who need it, which are the most vulnerable? The workers, you know, the middle class who really need someone to stand up for them. That's why I'm a Democrat. That's why the Democratic Party exists. That's what we should be focused on. You know, again, I'm not focused. I don't even want to talk about it. Hasan Piker doesn't mean anything to me or in my election."
Explicitly stayed outCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, asked on ABC's This Week whether Democrats should denounce Hasan Piker and reject his support, said he is not focused on streamers and that Democrats should be focused on stopping Donald Trump. Asked whether he would accept Piker's support, he said he does not want to talk about it and that Piker "doesn't mean anything to me or in my election."
After the statement
The interview then turned to Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding party and to whether Democrats should pursue impeachment if they win control of Congress.
ABC This Week, Sept. 20, 2026: interview with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker · ABC NewsPritzker interview, exchange with Jonathan Karl about Hasan Piker, after the question on Democrats winning back the House and SenateWhy this label?
The question put to Pritzker was whether it is time for Democrats to denounce Piker and say they do not want his support, after the host described Piker's claims about al-Qaeda and Iran. Pritzker did not answer it. He said he is not focused on streamers, turned to stopping Donald Trump, and said of Piker's support that he does not "even want to talk about it." The closest competing label is Minimized, because he says Piker "doesn't mean anything" to him, but he never addresses the seriousness of the claims, so we labeled it Explicitly stayed out.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Francesca FiorentiniHost of The Bitchuation RoomBefore this statement
Vigeland had just answered Fiorentini’s question about the interview, saying that a coordinated campaign against him is what could make him politically toxic. Fiorentini took up the point at about 14:35.
"You made him the media figure for bad reasons. He was out here minding his damn business.” … “They would be absolutely okay with him utilizing his millions of followers to do nothing at all, because they would prefer that than for him to use the followers to actually boot out these do-nothing establishment Democrats"
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Reacting on The Bitchuation Room to the MS NOW interview of Hasan Piker, host Francesca Fiorentini said “you made him the media figure for bad reasons” and that he “was out here minding his damn business.” She said many Democrats “would be absolutely okay with him utilizing his millions of followers to do nothing at all” but not with his using them “to actually boot out these do-nothing establishment Democrats,” and that if Abdul El-Sayed wins it will be “in spite of this massive national coordinated campaign” over Piker’s words. She also said Piker was “trying to be so nice” to Sanders and “should have gone harder.”
After the statement
Fiorentini went on to say that “[Hasan] reaches a lot of young people” and later that “people like [Hasan]” and other left candidates are “the people who are giving the Democratic Party a lifeline.”
The Bitchuation Room: “That Hasan MSNOW Interview Was Exhausting”14:35–16:39 (Fiorentini’s reply to Vigeland)Why this label?
The case covers two prongs: whether Piker’s comparison is defensible, and what his statements mean for the candidates associated with him. Fiorentini addresses the second prong. She rejects the campaign to make candidates answer for Piker, says he was made the story “for bad reasons,” and defends his use of his platform to elect candidates. The defense covers his political role, not his words: she does not mention the al-Qaeda comparison. Her remark that he “should have gone harder” with Sanders criticizes his interview tactics, not the conduct under scrutiny. The closest competing label is minimizes, which this case uses for rejecting the demand to denounce him; it loses because she does not downplay his statements or concede fault, and she affirmatively defends his role.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Emma VigelandCo-host of The Majority Report, a guest on The Bitchuation RoomBefore this statement
Fiorentini had played a clip from the MS NOW interview and summarized it: “she says, ‘if I were advising anyone, I would tell them to disavow you as well because we want to win.’ He says, ‘that’s a disagreement.’” Vigeland began by saying Sanders did not listen to what Piker had said.
"I mean, she didn’t listen to anything that he said. What she responded to was completely disconnected from the point he was making. I’m shocked at how poor of an interviewer she is and listener, if she was listening at all.” … “They feel like they have hours and hours of footage of [Hasan] sometimes saying edgy or inflammatory things by their own conservative standards, and they feel like this is a figure that we can define. And so when they act like, why are you going out there to campaign for candidates if you’re so politically toxic, as if this coordinated campaign against him wasn’t what would potentially make him politically toxic."
Challenged the characterizationCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Asked by host Francesca Fiorentini for her thoughts on the MS NOW interview of Hasan Piker, Emma Vigeland said MS NOW host Symone Sanders “didn’t listen to anything that he said,” responded to something “completely disconnected from the point he was making,” and that she was “shocked at how poor of an interviewer she is.” Vigeland said the “AIPAC-aligned, wealthy, billionaire-aligned Democrats” have “hours and hours of footage” of him “sometimes saying edgy or inflammatory things by their own conservative standards,” and “feel like this is a figure that we can define.” When they ask why he campaigns for candidates “if you’re so politically toxic,” she said, they ignore that “this coordinated campaign against him” is what could make him toxic.
After the statement
Fiorentini then agreed, saying “you cannot rewrite what we’ve all witnessed for months now,” and that “you made him the media figure for bad reasons.”
The Bitchuation Room: “That Hasan MSNOW Interview Was Exhausting”12:18–14:34 (Vigeland’s answer to Fiorentini’s question about the MS NOW interview)Why this label?
The case covers two prongs: whether Piker’s comparison is defensible, and what his statements mean for the candidates associated with him. Vigeland’s “politically toxic” passage addresses the second prong, responding to Sanders’s statement in the clip that she would advise candidates to disavow Piker; her earlier remarks concern Sanders as an interviewer. She disputes that any political toxicity is Piker’s own doing, attributing it to “this coordinated campaign against him,” and describes his critics as holding footage of him “sometimes saying edgy or inflammatory things by their own conservative standards.” She does not mention the al-Qaeda comparison; the only comparison of Piker’s she refers to is his comparison of the reaction to him with the industry reaction to Macklemore and Ruffalo, which she calls “a good, I think, comparison.” The closest competing label is minimizes, which this case uses for Tom Shillue’s reframing of Piker’s statements; it loses because Vigeland does not downplay his statements or concede fault, she disputes what makes him toxic.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Tom ShillueComedian and Fox News contributor, as a co-host of The Five Before this statement
Conway had just said Piker “goes from vile to violent” and that Democrats should distance themselves from him as they had from Graham Platner. MacCallum turned to Shillue and asked what he thought Joe Biden would make of it all.
"Obviously, Hasan Piker is ridiculous. He is a podcaster, he's provocative, he does that, that's his game. But the politicians decided. El-Sayed decided to pal around with him. Why? Because they thought, “I can deal with this controversy because I want his likes, I want his listeners, his viewers.” So he is tied to him. … I don't like that denounce game. You know, I remember we tried that with Obama: “When will you denounce Reverend Wright?” … El-Sayed is on record. He has a terrible record. He's a terrible leftist. So denounce him. Don't say, “When are you going to denounce this other guy?” He's got enough bad things to his name."
MinimizedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Asked for his view, Shillue said Piker was “ridiculous” but a podcaster being provocative, and that the political responsibility lay with El-Sayed, who chose to campaign with him for his audience. He said he disliked “that denounce game,” comparing it to demands that Barack Obama denounce Jeremiah Wright, and argued that El-Sayed's own record was the better target.
After the statement
Shillue moved on to Reid Hoffman's comments about Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which occupied the rest of the segment. Neither he nor the panel returned to Piker.
The Five: Tom Shillue on the demands that El-Sayed denounce Piker · Fox News00:11:10-00:11:59Why this label?
On the claims Piker made in the Axios Show interview, Shillue minimizes. He grants the criticism in a single word — “ridiculous” — and then reframes the statements as a performer's stock in trade, “he's provocative, he does that, that's his game,” which treats them as predictable rather than serious, and he expressly rejects the demand made elsewhere in this case by Mike Rogers and the NRSC that El-Sayed denounce him. The closest competing label is condemns, which loses because “ridiculous” is the whole of his evaluation of the statements; the substance of his answer is that they do not warrant the response they are getting and that El-Sayed's own record is the proper target.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Kellyanne ConwayRepublican pollster and former senior counselor to the president, as a co-host of Fox News' The FiveBefore this statement
Ford had just said that no Democrat or Republican “in their right mind subscribes to any of this,” and MacCallum had asked Conway to address that along with Reid Hoffman's comments about Kamala Harris.
"So, Harold, respectfully, I know at least one person who's willing to entertain this. His name is Abdul El-Sayed. He's palling around with this guy. He will not disclaim him and the crazy by-the-moment things that he's saying. And I think that Hasan Piker the person is actually even less important than Hasan Piker the performance artist now, because it represents how difficult it is now and will be in 2028 for Democrats to transition from shock-the-conscience crazy talk in the primaries to trying to present themselves as reasonable and semi-capitalist and connected to voters, to everyday voters. The way that some responsible Democrats wanted to distance themselves and their party from Graham Platner and his Nazi tattoo and his abuse of women and his adultery, I think that people should be doing that now with Hasan Piker. Here's the problem with Piker: the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be infiltrated by influencers and streamers and to live online."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Answering Ford's claim that nobody in either party entertains Piker's views, Conway named Abdul El-Sayed, the Michigan Senate candidate campaigning alongside Piker, said he would not disclaim him, and argued Democrats should distance themselves from Piker as some had from Graham Platner. She said the party had allowed itself to be “infiltrated by influencers and streamers” and that the Democratic National Committee pays influencers rather than economists or foreign policy experts.
After the statement
Conway added that even if El-Sayed disowned him “today” Piker would still reach millions, and that “when you get in bed with dogs, you're going to have fleas.” She then said Piker “goes from vile to violent pretty quickly,” citing his remark that landlords who refuse to rent should be killed and the streets soaked “with their capitalist blood.”
The Five: Kellyanne Conway on Piker and Abdul El-Sayed · Fox News00:08:28-00:09:27Why this label?
On the claims Piker made in the Axios Show interview, Conway condemns. She characterises what Piker is saying as “the crazy by-the-moment things” and “shock-the-conscience crazy talk,” and the Platner comparison treats his statements as disqualifying rather than merely unhelpful. The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, which loses because she is not disputing how Piker's remarks have been described; her argument is that a candidate who will not disavow them is the more consequential problem, which extends the condemnation rather than redirecting it.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Show fewer responses
Harold Ford Jr.Democratic former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Fox News contributor, as a rotating co-host of The FiveBefore this statement
MacCallum had introduced the Axios clip in which Piker, asked whether he considered Mao a great leader, answered that Mao was “a great man of history” whose achievements were “unbelievably impressive,” adding that the Cultural Revolution was “an abject disaster.” Piker's answer is recorded separately in this case.
"These views are so outside the periphery of the most extreme views in either political party in all of politics in America. And the fact — in some ways I'm disappointed we've been giving this nonsense airtime, because he talks about it in ways, I think, to Joey's point, that he almost tries to normalize it. No Democrat, no Republican, no progressive Democrat or liberal Democrat in their right mind subscribes to any of this. I'm a conservative Democrat."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Immediately after the programme played Piker calling Mao Zedong “a great man of history,” Ford — a Democratic former congressman — said the views fell outside the range of any position held in either American party, said he was disappointed the programme was giving “this nonsense” airtime because Piker “almost tries to normalize it,” and said he knew of nobody in Congress who would say Iran should have a nuclear weapon or that Mao was a good man.
After the statement
Jones interrupted to ask whether Ford thought some members of the Squad held such views; Ford said he did not, and continued that he knew of nobody in Congress “who would say, I want the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon” or “that Mao was a pretty good guy.” He repeated that he wished the programme would not give Piker the airtime. Ford posted the segment to his own account the same evening.
The Five: Harold Ford Jr. on Piker's remarks about Mao Zedong · Fox News00:05:57-00:06:25Why this label?
On the claims Piker made in the Axios Show interview, Ford condemns. He calls the views “nonsense,” places them outside the range of any position held in either party, and objects that Piker's manner of expressing them normalises them. The closest competing label is “Explicitly stayed out”, because he twice says he wishes the programme would not discuss Piker at all; that loses because he answers substantively and at length before and after saying it, and his objection is to the airtime rather than to being asked.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Johnny "Joey" JonesFox News contributor and co-host, on the network's programme The FiveBefore this statement
The programme had played the Axios clips of Piker on Iran, and MacCallum had asked Jones to respond. Jones first said he agreed with Piker that Iran should be assessed “regardless of its domestic policies,” but for the opposite reason — that Iran's conduct towards its neighbours and towards the United States is what leads most Americans to support action against it. He then said that while it is “easy to laugh him off as like a radical,” what Piker is doing is “taking radical ideas and making them palatable,” and that the more Abdul El-Sayed pushes him away, “the harder he's going into the paint.”
"Hasan Piker is going on the podcast and saying the terrible thing … what he said about Mao. And so, you know, like, “Well, Mao did a lot of great things, it was just that cultural revolution part that was a little bit, you know, wasn't good.” And so what it is is you can't talk bad about a communist or a socialist, no matter who they are, because that's what they believe. And so they have to repaint history. Now, Iran being authoritarian, because I guess that's what they believe as well, there are good parts about it. “Let them have a nuclear weapon. It's just, you know, they have a few domestic policies I don't like.” At the end of the day, Hasan Piker is a poster boy for why we should challenge birthright citizenship. His parents come here from Turkey, they go to college, they have a baby, they take him back to Turkey, they raise him there, and then he comes back here to partake in capitalism and talk bad about it."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Asked to respond to the Axios Show interview, Jones said Piker takes radical ideas and makes them palatable, paraphrased Piker's remarks on Mao Zedong and on Iran's nuclear programme back at him as evidence that socialists “have to repaint history,” and said Piker was a “poster boy for why we should challenge birthright citizenship.”
After the statement
Jones closed: “And that is someone who does not appreciate what this country is. And the fact that he's a citizen is what it is. But it's not someone who wants to see this country succeed. He's someone that wants to see this country change from the inside out to its core. And I'm not down for that.” Fox's own account for the programme posted the capitalism line as a clip the same evening. MacCallum then introduced the Mao clip and turned to Harold Ford Jr.
The Five: Johnny "Joey" Jones on Piker's Mao and Iran remarks · Fox News00:04:05-00:04:49Why this label?
On the claims Piker made in the Axios Show interview, Jones condemns. He calls what Piker said about Mao “the terrible thing,” mocks the Iran answer by paraphrasing it, and says the effect is that communists and socialists “have to repaint history.” The closest competing label is minimizes, on the strength of his opening concession that it is “easy to laugh him off”; that loses because he says so in order to argue the opposite — that the danger is precisely that Piker makes radical ideas palatable. The scope should be read with it: the birthright-citizenship argument and the capitalism line go to Piker's standing and character rather than to the truth of anything he said in the interview, and are recorded here as part of a single continuous answer.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Martha MacCallumFox News anchor, hosting The FiveBefore this statement
The programme had just played two clips from the Axios Show interview, in which Piker said Iran “much like any other sovereign nation, has a right to defend itself, regardless of its domestic policies,” and that he believed the Middle East “would be more stable” if Iran had a nuclear weapon. Piker's answer is recorded separately in this case.
"When he talked about Iran, he said they have a right to defend themselves regardless of their domestic policies, which I would point out include slaughtering tens of thousands of their own people in the streets, squalor, no economy to speak of, killing gay people, zero rights for women in Iran, and chanting death to Israel with the intention of annihilation and elimination of Israel and the United States. But he says regardless of their domestic policies, they should have a weapon."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Opening The Five's discussion of the Axios Show interview, MacCallum said President Trump was “exactly right” that Piker had become an unwanted distraction, then took up Piker's answer on Iran and set his qualifier — that Iran has a right to defend itself regardless of its domestic policies — against an itemised list of the Iranian government's conduct.
After the statement
MacCallum handed to Johnny “Joey” Jones, who replied that he agreed with Piker “in the sense of my assessment of Iran is regardless of its domestic policies” — but for the opposite reason — before criticising him at length. MacCallum later introduced the Mao clip and turned to Harold Ford Jr.
The Five: Martha MacCallum on Piker's Iran answer · Fox News00:02:23-00:03:12Why this label?
On the claims Piker made in the Axios Show interview, MacCallum condemns. She does not merely play the Iran answer back; she sets Piker's stated qualifier against an itemised account of the Iranian government's conduct, which evaluates the claim rather than describing it, and she endorses the President's assessment of Piker as a distraction. The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, which loses because she does not dispute how Piker's position has been described — she accepts his description of it and rejects the position.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Donald TrumpPresident of the United States, answering a reporter’s question in the Oval OfficeBefore this statement
Asked by a reporter: “Mr. President, many leading Democrats have condemned Hasan Piker. What is your take on him and do you think he’s a liability for Democrats?” The condemnations referred to followed the Axios Show interview; several are recorded separately in this case.
"I do. I think he’s a terrible liability. I think he’s got a power over some of these Democrats and he will vote that way. He’s a communist. There’s no question about it."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Asked in the Oval Office about the condemnations of Piker by leading Democrats and whether he considered Piker a liability to the party, Trump said he did, called him a communist, and said Piker’s statements were “so bad” that he could not understand Jewish voters supporting Democrats.
After the statement
Trump continued that the Democrats “have a lot of communists” who can steer a party in a close election, then said of Piker: “he’s a guy who is very — his statements are so bad, how a Jewish person could vote for a Democrat is not even — if you think of it, it’s not even believable.” He named none of the interview’s specific claims.
Oval Office remarks: Trump asked about Hasan Piker (Fox News broadcast capture)Approx. 1:11–1:12 into the recording; closed-caption text of the Oval Office pool exchange.Fox News on X: Trump says Piker’s political influence is a problem for DemocratsFull text of the post.Why this label?
On Piker’s claims in the Axios Show interview, Trump condemns him, and does so in answer to a question expressly premised on the condemnations those claims produced. He goes on to say “his statements are so bad” before drawing a conclusion about Jewish voters, which is an evaluation of the statements rather than only of the speaker. The limitation should be read with it: Trump does not address the al-Qaeda comparison, the Iran answer or the China remarks by name, and the bulk of his reply concerns Piker’s influence within the Democratic Party rather than the truth of anything he said. It is recorded as a condemnation of the speaker and his statements in this dispute, not as a response to any particular claim.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Rahm EmanuelFormer mayor of Chicago and former U.S. ambassador to JapanBefore this statement
The Chicago Tribune reported that in an interview with Axios earlier in September, Piker said the United States conducts more terrorism in the world than al-Qaida, the network behind the 9/11 attacks, "pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes."
"a ridiculous statement on a normal day, but particularly vile the same week we’re reflecting on the loss of 3,000 Americans on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The great thing about America is that everyone is entitled to their opinions and free to express them, however dumb or immoral, That includes ‘Comrade’ Piker. The rest of us are just as free — obligated even — to call out this vile, hateful speech that only divides America."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Hasan Piker's "pound for pound" comment was "a ridiculous statement on a normal day, but particularly vile" in the week of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. He said on X that everyone is free to express opinions "however dumb or immoral," and that the rest of us are free to call out "this vile, hateful speech that only divides America."
After the statement
On Sunday, September 20, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, asked on ABC's This Week whether Democrats should denounce Piker, spoke instead about stopping Donald Trump, according to the Tribune. Asked whether he would accept an endorsement from Piker, Pritzker said Piker "doesn't mean anything to me or in my election."
Gov. JB Pritzker doesn't condemn remarks by streamer Hasan Piker while ex-Mayor Rahm Emanuel blasts themParagraph beginning 'On Friday, Emanuel, who most recently served as U.S. ambassador to Japan' and the two paragraphs after itWhy this label?
The reference point is Piker's claims in the Axios interview, including that the United States commits more terrorism than al-Qaida "pound for pound." Emanuel calls that comment "a ridiculous statement" that was "particularly vile" in the week of the 9/11 anniversary, and says others are free to call out Piker's "vile, hateful speech." That rejects the claim outright, so we labeled it Condemned.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Hasan PikerPolitical commentator and streamer, interviewed on Lovett or Leave ItDirectly involvedBefore this statement
Said in reply to Lovett asking whether a less antagonistic framing would be more persuasive now that Piker has a larger platform.
"No, I think you’re — I think there’s truth to what you’re saying. Absolutely. … And clearly that’s, there are times in which you’ve become a problem for people like Abdul. And the problem isn’t necessarily what I’m saying. The problem is that I become a distraction, because you have a finite amount of time where you are supposed to make your case to the people."
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Piker accepted Lovett’s criticism of his framing, agreeing there was truth in it and that he had at times become a problem for candidates such as Abdul El-Sayed, while maintaining that the difficulty lay in his becoming a distraction rather than in the substance of what he had said.
After the statement
Piker said El-Sayed had stated the previous day that he was not planning to campaign with him, and attributed the sustained attention to Islamophobic attacks on candidates with Muslim names, citing the earlier use of a September 11 soundbite against Zohran Mamdani in New York.
Lovett or Leave It: “Jon Lovett & Hasan Piker on Macklemore, Trump’s Economy & Republican Media”08:35–11:39 (Macklemore and Ed Sheeran monologue); 14:28–34:44 (interview with Hasan Piker), with the exchange on the Axios interview at approximately 27:00–29:00.Why this label?
On Piker continues to defend the substance of his claims while conceding their tactical cost, which is the same structure as his earlier statement that he regretted the phrase “pound for pound” while maintaining the claim was truthful. The concession here goes further than that one: he accepts that the criticism of his framing has truth in it and that he has become a problem for candidates. It is still not a withdrawal, because he expressly locates the problem in his being a distraction rather than in what he said.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
_%40_SXSW_2017.jpg)
Jon LovettPodcast host, interviewing Piker on Lovett or Leave ItBefore this statement
Asked after Lovett noted the headlines circulating from the Axios interview, naming “the US is pound for pound worse than al-Qaeda” as one of them.
"And then you look into what you’re saying, I understand the point that you’re making. And there is a space between acting like a candidate and not saying what you think and a kind of obtuseness about what happens when you say something like that. … But as you have a bigger platform now, do you think to yourself, you know what, the most helpful and persuasive way for me to make this argument to the people that will hear it is not to be so antagonistic in the framing, or am I just too kind of poisoned by sort of campaigns and politics?"
Mixed or conditionalCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Interviewing Piker, Jon Lovett said he understood and accepted the substance of the argument behind the al-Qaeda comparison, while questioning whether framing it so antagonistically served Piker’s own purpose now that he has a larger platform.
After the statement
Piker answered that there was truth in it, and that the problem was less what he had said than that he had become a distraction for candidates. Lovett is a former speechwriter for President Obama and a co-host of Pod Save America, the programme on which Piker made the comparison that anchors a separate case.
Lovett or Leave It: “Jon Lovett & Hasan Piker on Macklemore, Trump’s Economy & Republican Media”08:35–11:39 (Macklemore and Ed Sheeran monologue); 14:28–34:44 (interview with Hasan Piker), with the exchange on the Axios interview at approximately 27:00–29:00.Why this label?
On whether Piker’s claims are defensible analysis or indefensible positions, Lovett holds both at once. He expressly grants the substance, saying he understands the point and the argument being made, and simultaneously criticises the framing as obtuse about its consequences. He also turns the criticism on himself, asking whether he is “too poisoned by campaigns and politics,” which qualifies rather than withdraws the objection. “Condemned” loses because he accepts the underlying argument; “Defended or excused” loses because he plainly objects to how it was put.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Mike FigueredoHost, The Humanist Report Before this statement
Said in a 26-minute commentary video published to The Humanist Report's YouTube channel on September 18, 2026, responding to both the Axios interview and Piker's MS NOW appearance.
"If you'll recall, Hasan didn't even bring up al-Qaeda on his own volition. It was the interviewer who chose to invoke al-Qaeda. ... The goal was to farm outrage off of him specifically to tee up attacks against Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim candidate that the Republican Party wants you to believe is a terrorist sympathizer."
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Mike Figueredo defended Piker, noting that the Axios interviewer rather than Piker introduced the al-Qaeda comparison, and argued the interview was designed to generate outrage that could be used against Abdul El-Sayed.
After the statement
Figueredo said critics "refuse to grapple with the substance of Hasan's assertion," and cited a September 1 argument by Ken Klippenstein that the reaction to Piker is aimed at El-Sayed's Senate campaign. His characterisation of Axios's motives is his own assertion, not an established finding.
"Axios & MS NOW Cynically Farm Outrage Off of Hasan Piker Interviews" (The Humanist Report)04:48-05:09 substance of the claim; 12:18-12:29 who raised al-Qaeda; 13:04-13:31 motive attributed to AxiosWhy this label?
Relative to the claim at issue -- that America commits more terrorism than al-Qaeda -- Figueredo defends it, saying critics "refuse to grapple with the substance" because the idea that America "statistically speaking, commits more acts of terrorism than Al Qaeda is too much for these people to bear." He also challenges the framing by noting the interviewer introduced the comparison.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
- Hasan PikerStreamer and political commentatorDirectly involved
Before this statement
Said in the full Axios Show episode published September 18, 2026, in an exchange about U.S. alliances and the cost of support for Israel.
"I don't think Israel in its current formation should be an ally, but I also feel that same exact way about Saudi Arabia. I feel that same exact way about countries that are operating in illiberal and undemocratic authoritarian ways. Of course, that standard is not applied to American allies at all."
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Asked whether Israel should be a U.S. ally at all, Piker said it should not in its current formation, while saying he applies the same standard to Saudi Arabia and other authoritarian governments.
After the statement
Piker cited Turkey, his family's country of origin, as an example of the same standard, describing it as "fairly autocratic at this point" under Erdogan.
"Hasan Piker on political violence, Israel and why he praises China" -- full Axios Show episode (YouTube)08:57-09:24 Israel as ally; 32:09-32:38 Zionism and fascism; 33:42-34:07 whether his rhetoric could incite violence; 34:34-34:49 Gaza and the Holocaust; 36:36-36:55 China trajectory; 41:33-42:27 and 44:48-46:06 Mao Zedong; 52:33-54:14 TibetWhy this label?
The claim at issue here is Piker's position that Israel should not be a U.S. ally in its present form. He advances and defends it, and pre-empts the charge of singling Israel out by extending the same standard to Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other governments he describes as authoritarian.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
- Hasan PikerStreamer and political commentatorDirectly involved
Before this statement
Said in the full Axios Show episode published September 18, 2026, after Alex Thompson read back Piker's own words that "any kind of ... Zionist tendency should be treated in the same way as being a ... rabid neo-Nazi," to which Piker replied, "Yes, I do."
"I believe Zionism is fascism. However, I live in the United States of America. So I have to deal with a lot of people who I personally think exhibit the qualities of fascists. And yet we sometimes still organize with these people. ... I'm not worried that they're going to be violent against Zionists. No, I'm not."
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Asked about his statement that Zionist tendencies should be treated like rabid neo-Nazism, Piker affirmed that he believes Zionism is fascism, and said he is not worried that his audience would be violent towards Zionists.
After the statement
Pressed on whether the rhetoric could incite people, Piker said support for Israel is "not only unbelievably violent, but it's a justification for a genocide of Palestinians," and argued that "if you've done a genocide and you defend the genocide that's taking place ... then you're pro-genocide." Asked whether Gaza was as bad as the Holocaust, he said it is "not to the same degree, of course, not the same severity, but it doesn't have to be for it to be considered a genocide. A genocide is determined by intent."
"Hasan Piker on political violence, Israel and why he praises China" -- full Axios Show episode (YouTube)08:57-09:24 Israel as ally; 32:09-32:38 Zionism and fascism; 33:42-34:07 whether his rhetoric could incite violence; 34:34-34:49 Gaza and the Holocaust; 36:36-36:55 China trajectory; 41:33-42:27 and 44:48-46:06 Mao Zedong; 52:33-54:14 TibetWhy this label?
The claim at issue here is Piker's characterisation of Zionism as fascism and his associated rejection of the concern that this rhetoric could incite violence. He defends both, restating the characterisation when it is read back to him and expressly denying the incitement concern when Alex Thompson puts it to him twice.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
- Hasan PikerStreamer and political commentatorDirectly involved
Before this statement
Said in the full Axios Show episode published September 18, 2026, during an exchange about whether China's development spells trouble for American prosperity.
"I think trajectory-wise, I worry that a Chinese child might have better conditions in the next decade or next two decades than an American one. And I think that should worry every American citizen. Not worry them from a xenophobic perspective, mind you, but it should be an alarming thing that we recognize and seek to address."
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Piker said he worries a Chinese child may have better living conditions than an American one within one or two decades, framing this as an argument for domestic investment rather than foreign wars.
After the statement
Piker argued the remedy is "not by consistently waging wars overseas, but instead trying to rapidly develop parts of the country that have been left behind," citing the departure of industry from the American heartland to lower-cost labour markets.
"Hasan Piker on political violence, Israel and why he praises China" -- full Axios Show episode (YouTube)08:57-09:24 Israel as ally; 32:09-32:38 Zionism and fascism; 33:42-34:07 whether his rhetoric could incite violence; 34:34-34:49 Gaza and the Holocaust; 36:36-36:55 China trajectory; 41:33-42:27 and 44:48-46:06 Mao Zedong; 52:33-54:14 TibetWhy this label?
The claim at issue here is Piker's comparison of Chinese and American living standards. He advances and defends it, while expressly distancing it from xenophobic framing and presenting it as a case for redirecting resources from overseas wars to domestic development.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
- Hasan PikerStreamer and political commentatorDirectly involved
Before this statement
Said in the full Axios Show episode published September 18, 2026, after interviewer Alex Thompson read back Piker's own statement that he "never would and never will criticize Mao Zedong. He is one of the great leaders of this world."
"I'll never make fun of Mao Zedong. He's a great man of history. Of course, there were a lot of excesses. -- What do you mean by excesses? -- Deaths. They're born out of mismanagement and famine. It was a huge crisis."
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Asked about his statement that he would never criticise Mao Zedong, Piker called Mao "a great man of history" and, asked to define the "excesses" he acknowledged, described deaths arising from mismanagement and famine.
After the statement
Piker said the original line followed a brief detention at Tiananmen Square and was partly insincere, but when pressed -- "Just to be clear, do you consider Mao a great leader?" -- he answered, "When I say Mao's a great leader, I mean, he's a great man of history," and added, "I think that there are things that Mao Zedong did that were unbelievably impressive," citing land reform and the defeat of the Japanese occupation.
"Hasan Piker on political violence, Israel and why he praises China" -- full Axios Show episode (YouTube)08:57-09:24 Israel as ally; 32:09-32:38 Zionism and fascism; 33:42-34:07 whether his rhetoric could incite violence; 34:34-34:49 Gaza and the Holocaust; 36:36-36:55 China trajectory; 41:33-42:27 and 44:48-46:06 Mao Zedong; 52:33-54:14 TibetWhy this label?
The claim at issue here is Piker's assessment of Mao Zedong. Piker defends it, reaffirming that Mao is "a great man of history" and characterising the mass deaths under his rule as "excesses" born of mismanagement and famine rather than as deliberate policy. He frames the original remark as partly a joke but does not withdraw the assessment.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
- Hasan PikerStreamer and political commentatorDirectly involved
Before this statement
Said in the opening minutes of a 67-minute response video published to his YouTube channel on September 18, 2026, after the full Axios episode aired and the backlash had built.
"[It] would have been probably better if I just didn't do the interview at all. Having said that, it certainly would have been better if I didn't say pound for pound. ... Perhaps someone with a name like Hasan, who is being aggressively slammed into the campaign of a guy who's named Abdul, should not be saying those things. Regardless, I'm too hardheaded and too stubborn to a fault, especially when it comes to analysis and perspective."
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
In a response video, Piker said it would have been better not to do the Axios interview and better not to have used the phrase "pound for pound," while maintaining that the underlying analysis was true and that he is too stubborn to avoid saying it.
After the statement
Piker separately said of the quote, "it's truthful, but it doesn't matter because being truthful is utterly irrelevant, especially ... when people don't want to hear the truth." He also argued that Axios sought "the interview that takes a person down" and that he had become "public enemy number one."
Hasan Piker, "AXIOS INTERVIEWER TRIED TO GET ME CANCELLED" (YouTube)01:36-02:15 (partial regret); 04:30-04:51 (maintains the claim is truthful); 22:24-22:46 (reads a viewer comment defending the phrasing)Why this label?
Relative to the claim at issue -- that America commits more terrorism than al-Qaeda -- Piker continues to defend it, saying elsewhere in the same video that the quote is "truthful, but it doesn't matter because being truthful is utterly irrelevant." His regret is confined to the wording ("pound for pound") and to the tactical decision to give the interview while tied to a Senate campaign; he does not withdraw the underlying comparison. This is recorded as a partial regret about expression, not a retraction.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Ritchie TorresU.S. Representative (D-NY)Before this statement
Reported September 18, 2026 among Democratic officials criticising Piker after the Axios interview. Torres also said that "rather strangely," Piker has "a rule against criticizing Mao Zedong."
"Piker condemns America while refusing to condemn one of the 20th century's deadliest dictators, instead lionizing Mao as one of the world's 'great leaders.'"
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Ritchie Torres criticised Piker for condemning America while declining to criticise Mao Zedong, saying Piker has a rule against criticising him.
After the statement
Torres's characterisation of Piker's position on Mao is his own.
Why this label?
Piker's assertion that America commits more terrorism than al-Qaeda, Torres rejects it by attacking its consistency, arguing Piker applies condemnation to the United States but not to Mao. He disputes the standard behind the comparison rather than the death-toll arithmetic.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Haley StevensDemocratic representative from Michigan, interviewed on CNNBefore this statement
Tapper asks whether the comparison remains a problem in Michigan.
"Piker is a demagogue who's way outside of the bounds of the Democratic Party."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Stevens criticizes Piker after Tapper raises his al-Qaeda comparison. She welcomes El-Sayed's distancing.
After the statement
She returns to her work assisting Americans detained abroad.
The Lead with Jake Tapper, September 17, 2026, second hour18:35-18:45 panel; 18:50-18:55 Stevens interviewCNN interview with Haley Stevens and Paul Whelan, republished by BreitbartFull 06:25 interview; question 04:55-05:12; Stevens 05:12-05:29; return to Whelan 05:29-06:16Why this label?
Reference point: the Axios remarks. Condemns: Stevens rejects them through explicit criticism of Piker. She does not merely question their political effect.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
National Republican Senatorial CommitteeRegional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell, National Republican Senatorial CommitteeBefore this statement
Issued as an official NRSC press release on September 17, 2026, the day Axios published the interview excerpt.
"Only someone as radical as Abdul El-Sayed would spend the last two months refusing to disavow a supporter who said 'America deserved 9/11' and that America is worse than the terrorists who killed thousands of Americans that day."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
The NRSC issued a press release reproducing Piker's Axios exchange and, through regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell, demanded that Abdul El-Sayed disavow him.
After the statement
The release reproduced the Axios exchange in full, including the preceding question, "You said that America is the top dog in terrorism," to which Piker answered "Yes."
Why this label?
Relative to the claim at issue, the NRSC rejects Piker's comparison, characterising it as saying America is worse than the 9/11 attackers, and addresses the candidate-association prong by demanding El-Sayed disavow him.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
John FettermanU.S. Senator (D-PA)Before this statement
Said to Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram on Thursday, September 17, 2026, after months of publicly urging Abdul El-Sayed to distance himself from Piker.
"He's an individual that just declared that we are worse than al Qaeda. And Democrats are campaigning with him, defending him, and my -- our base loves him. So, I mean, I can't compete with that."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
John Fetterman told reporters he was giving up his campaign of criticism against Piker, saying "I feel like I lost to Hasan Piker" and that he could not compete with a figure the Democratic base embraces despite the al-Qaeda comparison.
After the statement
Fetterman separately told reporters "I feel like I lost to Hasan Piker." Two renderings of these spoken remarks circulate: the one recorded here, from The Hill via Pergram, preserves his self-correction; a Sinclair/National News Desk version smooths it and ends "I can't compete with that guy."
Why this label?
Relative to the specific claim at issue -- Piker's assertion that America commits more terrorism than al-Qaeda -- Fetterman rejects it, citing it as the example of why Piker should not be embraced by Democrats. His broader remark is a concession about party dynamics, not a softening of his objection to the claim.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Tim MillerHost of The Bulwark Daily, in a scripted and interview programmeBefore this statement
The episode had been discussing the Michigan Senate race and Democratic prospects in the midterms. Miller prefaced the passage by noting his established position that moderates had overstated the Piker issue.
"Everybody knows that I have been kind of dragging the moderates for making the Hassan Piker thing a bigger deal than it should be. And it's like, Hassan Piker has some bad views, but also he was absolutely right about what the U.S. should be doing with regards to the wars in the Middle East, and that is the salient issue of the midterm, and Democrats should be trying to reach out to anti-war voters and not scare them away. And so I still feel that way. But then Hassan has decided to do an interview with Axios for some reason … and he's getting asked about whether the U.S. is worse than al-Qaeda and he's like yes, and I'm going, bro, please … stop making yourself the central issue of the Michigan race. Like you can still live stream, do your thing. But who is benefiting from you talking to Axios?"
Mixed or conditionalCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
On The Bulwark Daily, host Tim Miller said he had been criticising moderate Democrats for making Hasan Piker a bigger issue than he should be, and maintained that position: Piker holds what Miller called some bad views but was absolutely right about American policy on the wars in the Middle East, which Miller called the salient issue of the midterm, and Democrats should be reaching out to anti-war voters rather than scaring them away. He then said Piker's decision to give the Axios interview, and to answer yes when asked whether the United States is worse than al-Qaeda, was self-defeating, telling him to stop making himself the central issue of the Michigan race and asking who benefits from the interview. Guest Jesse Lehrich replied that he had no idea what Piker gets out of it.
After the statement
Miller went on to criticise Abdul El-Sayed's manner, saying he can be condescending and that having campaigned with Piker he now has to live with the questions or distance himself, while adding that the Michigan race was not a close call for him and that he would gladly vote for El-Sayed. Those remarks concern the Michigan race rather than Piker's claim and are not recorded here.
The Bulwark Daily: "Trump's Chaos Is Costing Him in Farm Country" (w/ Wright Thompson & Jesse Lehrich)1:24:33 episode. 18:43–19:50: Tim Miller on Piker's Axios interview, with Jesse Lehrich responding. 20:03–22:37: the Michigan race and El-Sayed. 29:03–29:33: a sponsor read that mentions Massie, Hegseth and the House recess. 34:25–36:00: which 2028 Democrats are ahead on AI risk, including a secondhand quotation of Ro Khanna.Why this label?
Miller combines materially different responses to it. He restates a defence of Piker's broader position on the Middle East wars, calling him absolutely right on that and warning Democrats against alienating anti-war voters, while treating this particular answer as a political error that makes Piker the story. He neither endorses the comparison nor rejects it on the merits. That is the same shape as Philip DeFranco (982), also classified “Mixed or conditional”. The closest competing label is condemns; it loses because his criticism is of the decision to give the interview rather than of the claim, and it sits alongside an explicit defence of Piker's underlying foreign-policy view.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
- Hasan PikerTwitch streamer and political commentator, interviewed for "The Axios Show"Directly involved
Before this statement
Axios gave this portion of the interview first to CNN's "The Lead," which introduced it by saying Piker had given Republicans plenty to work with in the final stretch of the midterm campaign. The al-Qaeda exchange from the same interview had been published earlier that day.
"I think Iran, much like any other sovereign nation, has a right to defend itself, regardless of its domestic policies. … countries that would have nuclear arms in an age of nuclear proliferation are the only countries that can generate true sovereignty. Now, having said that, do I want Iran to have nuclear arms? No. But I also don't want America or Russia or China to have nuclear arms either. … Do you think the Middle East would be more stable if Iran had a nuclear weapon? I believe yes. I think that the Middle East would be more stable. Having said that, once again, I'm not advocating."
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
In a further excerpt from the same Axios interview, given first to CNN, Alex Thompson asked Piker whether Iran should be free to build a nuclear weapon. Piker said Iran has a right to defend itself like any sovereign nation and, citing political scientist John Mearsheimer, argued that in an age of proliferation only nuclear-armed states can generate true sovereignty, applying the same reasoning to Ukraine. Asked directly whether the Middle East would be more stable if Iran had a nuclear weapon, he answered that he believes it would. He twice qualified the answer, saying he does not want Iran, the United States, Russia or China to hold nuclear arms and that he was not advocating Iranian armament, and added that he regards the nuclear conversation as a distraction that Tehran uses as leverage for sanctions relief. His deterrence reasoning and his characterisation of Iranian conduct are his own.
After the statement
Piker said he regards the nuclear conversation as a distraction, arguing Iran's government has used enriched uranium as leverage to bring the United States back to the table for sanctions relief. Thompson then discussed the political risk to Democrats, saying Democrats he had spoken to now regarded El-Sayed's primary association with Piker as a mistake.
Alex Thompson posts Piker's full answer on Iran and nuclear weapons1:40 clip posted by the interviewer, described as Piker's full answer.CNN "The Lead": Piker tells Axios the Middle East "would be more stable" if Iran had a nuclear weapon2:40 clip. 00:17–01:03: Alex Thompson asks whether Iran should be free to build a nuclear weapon and Piker answers; 01:03–01:24: the stability question and Piker's answer with his qualifiers; 01:24–01:42: Piker on the nuclear conversation as leverage for sanctions relief; 01:46 onward: Thompson's analysis of the political effect on Democrats.Why this label?
As the author of the claim, Piker asserts and defends it: asked directly, he answers that he believes it, and supplies a deterrence rationale attributed to Mearsheimer. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, given his repeated qualifiers that he does not want any state to hold nuclear arms and is "not advocating"; it loses because those qualifiers address what he would prefer and what he is urging, not whether the stability claim is true, and he does not withdraw or condition the claim itself. Note that the widely circulated headline carries only the stability answer without the qualifiers.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Dana BashCNN chief political correspondent and anchor of "Inside Politics"Before this statement
The programme had covered Trump's North Carolina rally and a New York Times report on Jewish community leaders backing El-Sayed despite reservations about his approach to Israel. Bash previewed the Piker item before a commercial break, then played the Axios exchange in full, including Piker's account of the Minab school strike.
"Far left streamer Hasan Piker just said something so stunning, even by his standards. Did he just write the Republicans' next attack ad for them? That's a rhetorical question. … A lot of Democrats are hoping far-left streamer Hasan Piker will just stay quiet. Much to the delight of Republicans, he's not, and he's giving those Republicans, especially in Michigan, a lot to work with. … I should just say that El-Sayed's campaign did put out a statement saying that he doesn't agree with his sentiment on al-Qaeda, probably because he's running in a democracy to be part of a democratically elected government, other than as opposed to al-Qaeda, which is an actual terrorist organization."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Introducing the segment on CNN's "Inside Politics," host Dana Bash called Piker's remark stunning even by his standards and said he had effectively written the next Republican attack ad, adding that Democrats were hoping he would stay quiet and that he was giving Republicans in Michigan a lot to work with. After playing the Axios clip, she noted El-Sayed's statement distancing himself and drew a distinction of her own, saying he is running in a democracy to join a democratically elected government as opposed to al-Qaeda, which she called an actual terrorist organization. She then turned to Semafor's Dave Weigel, who discussed the political risk to El-Sayed rather than the accuracy of the comparison.
After the statement
Bash turned to Semafor's Dave Weigel, who said the association was "a landmine that El-Sayed has set for himself because he decided to bring Piker to Michigan" and that Piker's view of America as an evil empire is not something any Democrat is running on. Weigel's contribution is analysis of the political risk rather than an evaluation of the comparison, and is not recorded as a separate position here.
CNN "Inside Politics" transcript, September 17, 2026: Hasan Piker segmentAired 12:00–12:30 ET. 12:14 teaser: Bash previews the segment. 12:15 onward: the Axios clip played in full, then Bash's exchange with Semafor's Dave Weigel. Panel also includes Aaron Blake and Nia-Malika Henderson.Why this label?
Bash rejects it on the substance, not only on its politics: her aside that El-Sayed is running in a democracy "as opposed to al-Qaeda, which is an actual terrorist organization" draws the category distinction the comparison collapses, and she frames the remark as stunning even by Piker's standards. That places her with the other speakers who reject the comparison. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, since much of her framing concerns the electoral damage to Democrats rather than the merits; it loses because she does not balance that against any concession to the claim, and the democracy-versus-terrorist-organization line is a substantive evaluation rather than a comment on effect.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Philip DeFrancoHost of The Philip DeFranco Show, in a scripted news segmentBefore this statement
DeFranco summarised the reaction, describing one side asking what Piker was talking about and the other saying the Axios headline stripped context to make the comments look worse. He played the Axios clip in full and ran through Republican responses including Mike Rogers's demand that El-Sayed condemn Piker, and Democratic unease reported alongside Axios's figure of nearly $3 million in Republican-aligned advertising against El-Sayed over the association.
"And others adding, was the quote taken out of context? Yes. Even with context, is this deeply out of touch with where most Americans stand? Yes. Is this an unnecessary distraction at best and actively damaging at worst [to] Democratic candidates' chances 47 days out from the midterms? Also, yes."
Mixed or conditionalCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Covering the controversy on his September 17 show, Philip DeFranco reported reactions from across the political spectrum and then answered three questions in his own voice, questions he attributed to other commentators. He agreed that Axios had taken the quote out of context, agreed that even in context the comment is out of touch with where most Americans stand, and agreed that it is an unnecessary distraction at best and actively damaging at worst to Democratic candidates 47 days from the midterms. He did not address whether the underlying comparison is accurate. Elsewhere in the segment he noted that the backlash had fallen on Axios as well as Piker.
After the statement
DeFranco read out Piker's posts accusing Axios of clickbaiting a nuanced answer and calling Trump and the Republican Party "Epstein-class terrorists," both recorded separately in this case. He noted the full interview was due to air the next day and said the story was likely to grow. The three questions he answers originate with other commentators; the answers are his.
The Philip DeFranco Show: "Joe Rogan Accidentally Humiliated Himself in Trump Panic & Hasan Piker VS Axios"09:34–14:10: the Hasan Piker and Axios segment. 10:07–10:50: the Axios clip played in full, longer than the Axios article carries. 12:41–13:00: DeFranco answers three questions in his own voice. 13:11–13:50: Piker's posts read out.Why this label?
DeFranco combines materially different positions on it. He sides with Piker against Axios on the framing, agreeing the quote was clipped out of context, while judging the remark itself out of touch with public opinion and damaging to the candidates Piker supports. The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, on the strength of the out-of-context answer; it loses because he does not stop there but adds a substantive negative evaluation. condemns also loses, because he never rejects the comparison on the merits and expressly criticises how it was presented. Note that he assesses the remark's political standing and effect rather than its accuracy.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
- Hasan PikerTwitch streamer and political commentator, posting on his verified X accountDirectly involved
Before this statement
Piker had first responded to the circulating clip by accusing Axios of turning a nuanced answer into clickbait, which is recorded separately. The Hill reported these further posts in the same sequence.
"our elites terrorize the entire world while ordinary americans continue to foot the bill. we spent trillions 'fighting' the terror we created to provide cover for our oil barons stealing 3rd world resources … it only amounted to more death overseas, more poverty at home. all while the MIC ballooned. no houses, no hospitals, no schools-just a growing crisis of homelessness, underemployment and diseases of despair in the wealthiest country on earth"
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
In further posts the same day, beyond the one accusing Axios of clickbaiting his answer, Piker expanded the argument behind his comparison. He said American elites terrorise the world while ordinary Americans pay for it, that trillions were spent fighting terror the United States had itself created in order to cover resource extraction, and that the result was death abroad and poverty at home alongside a growing military-industrial complex. The Washington Examiner reported he also wrote that Trump and the Republican Party are "Epstein-class terrorists" and cited strikes on fishermen off South America, arms to Israel and sanctions on Cuba. These are his characterisations and are not established here.
After the statement
The Washington Examiner reported that Piker continued the thread, calling Trump and the Republican Party "Epstein-class terrorists" and listing strikes on fishermen off the South American coast, continued arming of Israel and sanctions on Cuba; those posts are reported rather than quoted here.
Why this label?
Here he neither withdraws nor qualifies it but supplies the underlying argument, framing U.S. conduct as elite-driven terror paid for by ordinary Americans. That is a continued defence of the claim under scrutiny, consistent with his interview answer (955) and his response to the Axios framing (967), and it is recorded separately because it is a distinct statement making a distinct argument rather than a restatement. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”; it loses because he attaches no condition and combines no opposing position.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Republican PartyOfficial social-media account of the Republican Party, as identified by The HillBefore this statement
The Hill reported that backlash to Piker's Axios remarks was swift online and came from both Republicans and Democrats, listing this post alongside reactions from Rep. Josh Gottheimer and Alyssa Farah Griffin.
"Every single Democrat who is supported by this garbage can of a human being must condemn him immediately."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
The official Republicans social media account posted the clip of Piker's Axios remarks and called on every Democrat supported by him to condemn him immediately, describing him in derogatory terms. The Hill, which reported the post, identifies it only as the official Republicans account and does not name the handle; the specific account could not be verified independently, so the attribution rests on that report.
After the statement
Michigan's Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers made the same demand of Abdul El-Sayed by name, which is recorded separately in this case. The handle behind this post was not verified; an account currently using the name GOP on X was created in April 2026 and is not evidently the long-standing party account, so no handle is asserted here.
Why this label?
The post circulates the clip as self-evidently disqualifying and demands that Democrats disavow its author, which is an express rejection of the claim and a condemnation of the speaker. It sits with Rogers (968), who makes the same demand of El-Sayed specifically. The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”; it loses because the post disputes no label or description but treats the remark itself as indefensible.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Alyssa Farah GriffinPolitical strategist, co-host of ABC's "The View" and former White House communications director, posting on social mediaBefore this statement
The Hill reported that backlash to Piker's Axios remarks was swift online and came from both Republicans and Democrats, listing Griffin's post among the reactions alongside Rep. Josh Gottheimer's and the official Republicans account's.
"You could convince me Hasan Piker is a GOP op. He's an absolute soundbite machine for Republican ads!"
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Political strategist and "The View" co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin criticised Piker's remarks on social media, saying she could be convinced he was a Republican operative and calling him an absolute soundbite machine for Republican ads. The remark treats the comparison as indefensible enough to serve Republican campaign advertising rather than engaging with whether it is accurate. The suggestion that Piker is a Republican operative is rhetorical and is not an allegation this case records as fact.
After the statement
Griffin's post is quoted by The Hill; the underlying post was not located on her account, so the quotation rests on that report's direct attribution. Two days earlier she had posted separately about Piker and the September 11 attacks, disputing his account of remembering the day, which is a different statement and is not recorded here.
Why this label?
Griffin criticises the claim and its author, treating the remark as self-evidently damaging rather than arguable. That is a critical evaluation of the conduct under scrutiny, and the guidance is explicit that a speaker need not use the verb "condemn" for the label to apply. It matches how her mockery of Kash Patel's hearing testimony is classified in its own case (900). The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”; it loses because she combines no materially different positions and attaches no express condition. Her focus on political consequence rather than on the merits does not soften the evaluation, since the stated target is Piker's remarks themselves.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Josh GottheimerU.S. Representative for New Jersey's 5th congressional district, posting on social mediaBefore this statement
The Hill reported that backlash to Piker's Axios remarks was swift online and came from both Republicans and Democrats, and reproduced the exchange in which Alex Thompson asked whether America is worse than al Qaeda.
"Comparing America to al-Qaeda wasn't an accident — Piker has built a brand on anti-American hate. This is a man who said America 'deserved' 9/11, who framed a newspaper with the Twin Towers on it for his backdrop, and who has spent years excusing the very terrorists who've targeted our country. That's not edgy commentary."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey condemned Piker's comparison on social media, saying it was not an accident but the product of what he called a brand built on anti-American hate. He cited Piker's 2019 remark that America deserved the September 11 attacks, a backdrop Gottheimer said featured a newspaper showing the Twin Towers, and what he described as years of excusing terrorists who targeted the United States. Gottheimer's characterisations of Piker's record and motives are his own.
After the statement
The same report carried the official Republicans account calling on every Democrat supported by Piker to condemn him, and Alyssa Farah Griffin saying Piker is "an absolute soundbite machine for Republican ads." Piker responded to the circulating clip by accusing Axios of clickbaiting a nuanced answer, which is recorded separately in this case.
Why this label?
Gottheimer rejects it outright and attributes it to a pattern rather than a slip, which is a direct condemnation of the claim and its author. He is the second Democrat recorded here to reject the comparison, after El-Sayed (956), and sits alongside Lara Trump (966) and Rogers (968). The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, on the basis that he disputes the framing of the remark as "edgy commentary"; it loses because that phrase rejects a defence of the claim rather than merely contesting a label, and the passage condemns the underlying comparison throughout.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Mehdi HasanBroadcaster and founder of Zeteo, co-writing a signed analysis piece with Andrew PerezBefore this statement
The piece opens by saying Piker is being dragged again by bad-faith actors over a clip from the Axios interview, and that the outlet's headline was calibrated for outrage. It notes Axios had released only a 56-second preview at the time of writing, and reproduces the full exchange in which Alex Thompson cites Piker's earlier "top dog in terrorism" remark before asking the al-Qaeda question.
"Piker's comment, while obviously controversial, is objectively true. … Terror attacks by al-Qaeda have killed thousands of innocent people over the past three decades, but in terms of "the number of deaths" there is no real comparison to be made. … Yes, Trump lies all the time, but his point there was correct. So was Piker's."
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
In a signed analysis piece for Zeteo co-written with Andrew Perez, Mehdi Hasan defended Piker's comparison as accurate on the specific measure Piker used, the number of deaths. The authors cited Brown University's Costs of War estimate of 432,000 civilians killed by direct post-9/11 war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Pakistan between 2001 and 2023, along with Vietnam, Laos and Indonesia, and argued that al-Qaeda's death toll bears no comparison. They said Axios's headline was calibrated to maximise outrage while crediting the outlet for interviewing Piker, and drew a parallel to Trump's 2017 remark to Bill O'Reilly that "we've got a lot of killers" and "do you think our country's so innocent?" They also characterised the wider response as a cancellation campaign. The casualty estimates are as the authors cite them and their characterisations of other actors are their own.
After the statement
The authors argue U.S. terror attacks have increased under Trump, citing the Minab school strike, and say the campaign against Piker seeks to make him the top midterm issue rather than the Iran war. They report that CNN's Scott Jennings mocked Democrats over the clip and that activist Shannon Watts responded sarcastically; those characterisations are the authors' and neither reaction is recorded here from its own source.
Why this label?
Hasan and Perez endorse it directly, calling it "objectively true" on the death-toll measure Piker specified and concluding "So was Piker's." That places them with Piker (955, 967) and opposite El-Sayed (956), Lara Trump (966) and Rogers (968). The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, since much of the piece attacks Axios's headline and the wider coverage; it loses because the authors go on to affirm the underlying claim on the merits rather than only disputing how it was framed.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Mike RogersRepublican nominee for United States Senate in Michigan, posting from his campaign accountBefore this statement
Piker campaigned for El-Sayed in Michigan's Democratic primary, and Republican-aligned groups have spent close to three million dollars on advertising tying the two together. Rogers had attacked the association at the Republican midterm convention a week earlier.
"BREAKING: Conman @AbdulElSayed’s running mate Hasan Piker just said that America is worse than Al-Qaeda. Abdul — enough is enough. Condemn Piker once and for all."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Within hours of the interview, Rogers posted that Piker had said America is worse than al-Qaeda, described Piker as El-Sayed's running mate, and demanded that El-Sayed condemn him. El-Sayed had already rejected the comparison in a statement to Axios.
After the statement
El-Sayed had already told Axios he did not agree with the statement and gave little weight to a social media streamer. No further response from El-Sayed to Rogers's demand was found.
Why this label?
Rogers treats the claim as self-evidently disqualifying and demands it be condemned, which is a rejection of the claim rather than a dispute about how it has been described. The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, which loses because he does not argue Piker has been misquoted or misread; he takes the comparison at face value and rejects it. His description of Piker as El-Sayed's running mate is campaign framing rather than a factual claim about any formal role.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Debbie DingellU.S. Representative for Michigan's 6th congressional district, interviewed on CNNBefore this statement
CNN played the Axios exchange, including Alex Thompson's question and Piker's "pound for pound" answer, then reported that El-Sayed had told CNN's Manu Raju, before the clip published, that he would not campaign with Piker in the general election, having campaigned with him in the primary. The interviewer asked whether El-Sayed needed to do more to distance himself.
"I'm so sick of talking about Hasan Piker and I want Hasan Piker to go away. I don't know why he had to do that interview. … The bombing of the school in Iran was horrific. We shouldn't be in the war in Iran. … This election is about Abdul El-Sayed, not Hasan Piker. … If he wants to see Abdul El-Sayed elected, stop going on television. Abdul has got to make it clear that he does not agree with the things that he has said."
Mixed or conditionalCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Asked on CNN whether Abdul El-Sayed needed to do more to distance himself from Hasan Piker after the Axios interview, Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell said she was sick of talking about Piker and wanted him to go away, and questioned why he gave the interview. She agreed with part of what he said, calling the bombing of the school in Iran horrific and saying the United States should not be in the war in Iran, while distancing herself from his other positions: she said Israel has a right to exist and called things he has said about women horrific. She said the election is about El-Sayed rather than Piker, urged Piker to stop going on television if he wants El-Sayed elected, and said El-Sayed must make clear he does not agree with what Piker has said.
After the statement
Dingell closed by saying she wished everybody would stop talking about Piker so the conversation could turn to what she called the issues at stake in November, giving access to a doctor when sick as her example. The interviewer responded that he sensed her frustration.
CNN: "'I want Hasan Piker to go away!': Michigan congresswoman voices frustration after left-wing streamer's recent interview"2:02 clip. 00:06–00:41: the Axios exchange played back, including Alex Thompson's question and Piker's answer; 00:43–01:00: CNN reports El-Sayed told Manu Raju before the clip published that he would not campaign with Piker in the general election, and asks whether he needs to do more to distance himself; 01:02–01:58: Rep. Debbie Dingell's answer.Why this label?
Dingell combines materially different responses to it. She endorses part of the basis he gave — that the Iran school strike was horrific and that the United States should not be in that war — while declining to accept the comparison itself and rejecting his positions on Israel and on women, and she presses El-Sayed to disavow him. The closest competing label is “Explicitly stayed out”, given her repeated wish that everyone stop talking about Piker; it loses because she engages with the substance before redirecting, and the guidance is to evaluate the answer given rather than the closing redirect. condemns also loses, because she never rejects the comparison on the merits.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
- Hasan PikerTwitch streamer and political commentator, posting on his verified X accountDirectly involved
Before this statement
Axios published a teaser clip from its interview under the headline "America worse than al-Qaeda 'pound for pound'"; the accompanying article reported Piker describing the September 11 attacks as blowback and saying "this doesn't justify the action, mind you."
"oh this is why they were farming the interview. i give a nuanced answer about acts of terror this admin has caused and they clickbait it. he asked, i gave a nuanced answer. we've armed al qaeda since 9/11, we made its former commander the president of syria."
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Responding on X the same day to the teaser clip Axios published from his interview, Hasan Piker accused the outlet of "farming the interview" and turning what he called a nuanced answer about acts of terror into clickbait. He did not withdraw the comparison: he restated the substance by citing United States arming of al-Qaeda since the September 11 attacks and saying a former al-Qaeda commander became president of Syria. Those historical characterisations are his own and are not established here.
After the statement
Fox News's "Outnumbered" quoted the post the same day, with host Harris Faulkner saying Piker was now criticising how the interview had been presented. Abdul El-Sayed separately rejected the comparison in a statement to Axios.
Why this label?
The post's opening move is a complaint about Axios's framing, which would point to “Challenged the characterization”, and that is the closest competing label. It loses because the passage goes on to express a clearer substantive endorsement of the claim itself: rather than qualifying or withdrawing the comparison, he supplies further argument for it. Under the tie-break between condemnation and characterisation, a substantive evaluation that follows a framing dispute governs the label. He therefore continues to defend the claim under scrutiny, consistent with his interview answer (955).
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Lara TrumpFox News host of "My View with Lara Trump" and former Republican National Committee co-chair, appearing as a panellist on "Outnumbered"Before this statement
Host Harris Faulkner introduced the segment by saying Piker, "the man who said America deserved 9/11," was bashing America again less than a week after the 25th anniversary of the attacks, and that El-Sayed, who brought Piker onto his Michigan primary campaign, was now distancing himself. The programme played an extended clip of Piker's Axios answer and read El-Sayed's statement aloud.
"The idea that Hasan Piker is the mouthpiece for the Democrats should concern them extensively. … He was doing damage control. He was trying to distance himself. … To say that America is anything like a terrorist organization is totally outrageous."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
On Fox News's "Outnumbered" the day the interview was published, Lara Trump rejected Hasan Piker's comparison, saying it was totally outrageous to say America is anything like a terrorist organization. She argued that terrorists deliberately target civilians, citing the September 11 hijackings, and that war, while not perfect, is a different thing. She also dismissed Abdul El-Sayed's statement to Axios as damage control rather than a genuine rebuttal, said Piker's views should concern Democrats, and argued that Democrats who do not condemn him should be assumed to share his view. Her characterisations of Piker, of El-Sayed's motives and of the Trump administration's counterterrorism record are her own.
After the statement
Lara Trump went on to credit the Trump administration with counterterrorism successes and argued that until Democrats condemn Piker, voters should assume they agree with him. Faulkner then turned to panellist Kennedy, who said Piker "hates America with a blinding passion" and challenged him to make the same criticisms in countries run by the Taliban or the Houthis, and later to Joey Jones.
Fox News "Outnumbered": "Hasan Piker under fire after comparing US to al Qaeda"11:20 clip. 00:00-00:35: Harris Faulkner's introduction; 01:21-01:40: extended clip of Piker's Axios answer; 01:46-01:54: Piker's post criticising the interview's presentation; 02:12-02:25: El-Sayed's statement read aloud; 03:03-04:35: Lara Trump; 04:48-06:24: Kennedy; 06:37 onward: Joey Jones.Why this label?
Lara Trump expressly rejects it, calling the equation "totally outrageous" and drawing a distinction between deliberate targeting of civilians and the conduct of war. That is a direct condemnation of the claim under scrutiny, placing her opposite Piker (955) and alongside El-Sayed (956), who also rejects it. The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, on the basis that much of her segment is about El-Sayed's response and about Democrats generally rather than the claim itself; it loses because she states a clear substantive evaluation of the comparison before turning to the political argument.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Abdul El-SayedDemocratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, in a statement provided to AxiosBefore this statement
Axios sought comment from El-Sayed after Piker, who campaigned for him in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, made the comparison in an interview for "The Axios Show."
"I do not agree with this statement, nor do I give much weight to the statements made by a social media streamer. I am more concerned with the dangerous policies of Donald Trump and Mike Rogers that are raising the prices of gas, groceries and healthcare for Michiganders."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
In a statement to Axios responding to Piker's comparison, Abdul El-Sayed said he did not agree with it and did not give much weight to statements made by a social media streamer, and redirected to what he called the dangerous policies of Donald Trump and Mike Rogers on the cost of gas, groceries and health care in Michigan. Piker campaigned for El-Sayed in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, and the association has been the subject of sustained Republican advertising.
After the statement
Two days earlier, at a Fox 2 Detroit debate on September 15, El-Sayed had defended engaging with Piker on audience grounds: "The reason I talk to Hasan isn't because of Hasan, it's because of the 3 million people who pay attention to what he has to say." The separate dispute over Mike Rogers's 9/11 accusation against El-Sayed is recorded in its own case.
Why this label?
El-Sayed expressly rejects it — "I do not agree with this statement" — and further discounts the speaker's standing. That is a direct rejection of the claim under scrutiny. The closest competing label is “Explicitly stayed out”, given that he pivots to economic policy in the second sentence; it loses because he answered on the merits first rather than refusing to address the matter, and the skill's guidance is to evaluate the answer given before any closing redirect.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
- Hasan PikerTwitch streamer and political commentator, interviewed for "The Axios Show"Directly involved
Before this statement
The exchange came in an exclusive interview for a new episode of "The Axios Show," recorded in Los Angeles, in which Axios put the comparison to Piker as a direct question.
"Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes. … We have caused tremendous terror all around the world. … If you're killing 140 schoolgirls, that is an act of terror. This doesn't mean that all Americans are terrorists, but the reality of the matter is we have to create an environment of accountability to ensure things like that never happen again."
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Asked in an interview for "The Axios Show" whether America commits more terrorism than the organization behind the September 11 attacks, Hasan Piker answered "Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes," and said the United States has "caused tremendous terror all around the world." He grounded the claim in a U.S. missile strike that hit an elementary school in Minab, Iran, saying that killing 140 schoolgirls is an act of terror, while adding that this does not make all Americans terrorists and calling for accountability so that such strikes do not recur. Piker's casualty figure and his characterisation of U.S. conduct as terrorism are his own; the Associated Press found evidence at least one U.S. missile struck the school, but the death toll is not established.
After the statement
Piker also addressed his 2019 remark that "America deserved 9/11," for which he has apologised and which he has described as blowback from decades of U.S. involvement in the Middle East, telling Axios: "This doesn't justify the action, mind you. This is more so analysis to stop further violence from taking place, both violence in the region, but also violence in the home front as well." Abdul El-Sayed rejected the al-Qaeda comparison in a statement to Axios the same day.
Why this label?
As the speaker of the claim under scrutiny, Piker asserts and defends it: he affirms the comparison directly in answer to the question, supplies a specific factual basis for it, and frames it as an argument for accountability rather than withdrawing or softening it. That matches how his own statements are classified in his other cases, such as 178 in the "Hamas over Israel" case. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, which loses because his qualification — that this does not mean all Americans are terrorists — limits the claim's scope without conditioning the comparison itself.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Symone D. Sanders TownsendCo-host, "Clock It" (MS NOW)Before this statement
Said to Piker during his Wednesday, September 16, 2026, interview on the MS NOW podcast "Clock It," which she co-hosts with Eugene Daniels.
"I used to work campaigns, Hasan, and I have to tell you, if I was a strategist or a consultant or the political director on one of these campaigns, I would absolutely be telling my people to disavow you. I really would, because we wanna win! We wanna win, and so, like, if you're not gonna help people win, distance."
CondemnedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Symone Sanders Townsend told Piker to his face that as a campaign strategist she would advise candidates to disavow him, arguing he does not help Democrats win.
After the statement
She added, "I've elected people, though. You've never elected anybody," and separately rejected Piker's comparison between Hamas and people protesting police violence: "it sounds like the example that you just gave that the people who are protesting the police are Hamas. And I just would reject that as somebody who has protested the police before."
Why this label?
This case covers two prongs: whether Piker's comparison is defensible, and what his statements mean for the candidates associated with him. Sanders Townsend addresses the second prong directly and rejects the association, saying she would advise candidates to disavow him. She does not evaluate the truth of the al-Qaeda comparison itself, and this label is not a finding on that question.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
- Hasan PikerStreamer and political commentatorDirectly involved
Before this statement
Said on a livestream on Friday, September 11, 2026, after playing a Republican attack ad against Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed that featured clips of Piker saying "I hate America."
"Of course, I'm a godd--- American. It is my godd--- God-given and constitutionally protected right to say I hate America if America is actually f---ing over Americans. You can clip chimp it all day. It doesn't change that. It doesn't change that mentality."
Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
Full statement and sources
Responding on a livestream to a Republican attack ad against Abdul El-Sayed built on clips of Piker saying he hates America, Piker defended his right to say so, arguing his anger is directed at what the U.S. government does to Americans and others.
After the statement
Piker argued it was "clear" his anger was directed at "what America as the American government is doing to Americans and to everyone else," and called the "America haters" framing "so f---ing stupid."
Hasan Piker doubles down, defends his 'God-given right' to say how much he hates America · Fox NewsOpening paragraph and the paragraphs quoting Piker's Friday livestream.Why this label?
Relative to the candidate-association prong of this case -- what Piker's statements mean for candidates tied to him -- Piker defends the rhetoric rather than retreating from it, rejecting the framing that he and El-Sayed are "America haters." Expletives are rendered as redacted by the source.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Sources
(43)
Interview
Axios: "Hasan Piker on 'The Axios Show': America worse than al-Qaeda 'pound for pound'"
Excerpt
"Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes."
About this source
Axios write-up of an exclusive interview with Hasan Piker for a new episode of "The Axios Show," datelined Los Angeles and published September 17, 2026. Asked whether America commits more terrorism than the organization behind the September 11 attacks, Piker answered "Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes" and added "We have caused tremendous terror all around the world." The piece's "why it matters" section ties the remarks to Republican attacks in the Michigan Senate race after Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed had Piker campaign for him in the primary. The published article is brief; fuller quotation from the same interview is carried in TheWrap's report.
- Author
- Alex Thompson
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
CNN interview with Haley Stevens and Paul Whelan, republished by Breitbart
Relevant passage: Full 06:25 interview; question 04:55-05:12; Stevens 05:12-05:29; return to Whelan 05:29-06:16
About this source
CNN interview republished by Breitbart. Stevens criticizes Piker after Tapper raises his al-Qaeda comparison, then returns to work on wrongfully detained Americans.
- Author
- CNN; interview recording republished by Breitbart
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
Hasan Piker: America WORSE than AL-QAEDA 'pound for pound' | RISING
About this source
The Rising panel disagrees about Piker's comparison, media framing and candidates' responsibility for campaign guests.
- Author
- The Hill
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
Hasan's Gross MELDOWN During Axios Interview
About this source
The upload presents Hutch's September 18stream. Replayed Axios footage is distinct from his commentary.
- Author
- Hutch
- Published
- Accessed
Original text
The Lead with Jake Tapper, September 17, 2026, second hour
Relevant passage: 18:35-18:45 panel; 18:50-18:55 Stevens interview
About this source
Separate discussions address Piker's influence and the interview.
- Author
- CNN
- Published
- Accessed
Analysis
Hasan Piker Tomorrow
Relevant passage: Discussion of Democratic responses to the interview and the concluding demand to confront Piker
About this source
Turrentine criticizes Piker's interview and urges Democratic leaders to draw public boundaries around acceptable rhetoric.
- Author
- Dan Turrentine
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
What Is Terrorism? Hasan Piker's Controversial Al-Qaeda Remarks Dissected
Relevant passage: Interviews with Geoffrey Corn, Bruce Hoffman and Mary Ellen O'Connell, especially Intent, Not Body Count and Why State Terrorism Never Made It Into Law
About this source
The report presents competing expert interpretations of Piker's comparison, rather than a shared legal definition.
- Author
- Jesus Mesa
- Published
- Accessed
Analysis
Yes, The U.S. Is The World's Biggest Terrorist
Relevant passage: Paragraph beginning "Now let's be clear," and the concluding advice to El-Sayed
About this source
Kulinski defends Piker's comparison and argues that El-Sayed should redirect criticism toward U.S. foreign policy.
- Author
- Kyle Kulinski
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
CNN reports a private El-Sayed conversation with Hasan Piker
Relevant passage: Section: I am the Democrat that Democrats have; closing paragraphs about Piker
About this source
CNN attributes the private conversation to two people El-Sayed told about it. The conversation date is unspecified. The report establishes the publication, not independent verification of the call.
- Author
- Edward-Isaac Dovere
- Published
- Accessed
Original text
ABC This Week, Sept. 20, 2026: interview with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker
Relevant passage: Pritzker interview, exchange with Jonathan Karl about Hasan Piker, after the question on Democrats winning back the House and Senate
Excerpt
"I don't even want to talk about it. Hasan Piker doesn't mean anything to me or in my election."
About this source
ABC News' rush transcript of This Week for September 20, 2026, which ABC says may not be in final form. Jonathan Karl asks Pritzker whether it is time for Democrats to denounce Hasan Piker and whether he would accept Piker's support.
- Author
- ABC News
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Gov. JB Pritzker doesn't condemn remarks by streamer Hasan Piker while ex-Mayor Rahm Emanuel blasts them
Relevant passage: Paragraph beginning 'On Friday, Emanuel, who most recently served as U.S. ambassador to Japan' and the two paragraphs after it
Excerpt
"“The great thing about America is that everyone is entitled to their opinions and free to express them, however dumb or immoral,” Emanuel said on X."
About this source
Chicago Tribune report, published September 20, 2026 and updated that evening, on how Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel each responded to Hasan Piker's remarks. Emanuel's words are quoted as the Tribune reports them.
- Author
- Jeremy Gorner
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Hasan Piker doubles down, defends his 'God-given right' to say how much he hates America
Relevant passage: Opening paragraph and the paragraphs quoting Piker's Friday livestream.
Excerpt
"Far-left Twitch streamer Hasan Piker insisted it was his "God-given" and "constitutionally protected right" to proclaim hatred for America on his livestream Friday."
About this source
Fox News report, published Sunday, September 13, 2026, on Piker's livestream of Friday, September 11, 2026, in which he responded to an attack ad against Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and defended his right to say he hates America. The source redacts his expletives.
- Author
- Lindsay Kornick
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
The Bitchuation Room: “That Hasan MSNOW Interview Was Exhausting”
Excerpt
"You made him the media figure for bad reasons. He was out here minding his damn business."
About this source
Weekly progressive politics podcast, published on YouTube at 1:50 p.m. EDT on September 19, 2026 and running 32:29. Host Francesca Fiorentini and guest Emma Vigeland (identified by an on-screen caption) react to the MS NOW interview of Hasan Piker by Symone Sanders and Eugene Daniels, playing clips of it. The passage follows Vigeland’s answer at 12:18–14:34. The two share a split screen with no speaker label; Fiorentini is the one speaking during this passage.
- Author
- The Bitchuation Room (with Francesca Fiorentini)
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
The Bitchuation Room: “That Hasan MSNOW Interview Was Exhausting”
Excerpt
"I’m shocked at how poor of an interviewer she is and listener, if she was listening at all."
About this source
Weekly progressive politics podcast, published on YouTube at 1:50 p.m. EDT on September 19, 2026 and running 32:29. Host Francesca Fiorentini and guest Emma Vigeland (identified by an on-screen caption) react to the MS NOW interview of Hasan Piker by Symone Sanders and Eugene Daniels, playing clips of it. Fiorentini turns to Vigeland at about 12:16 (“give me your thoughts on that”), and the quoted answer follows. The two share a split screen with no speaker label; Vigeland is the one speaking during this passage.
- Author
- The Bitchuation Room (with Francesca Fiorentini)
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
The Five: Tom Shillue on the demands that El-Sayed denounce Piker
Tom Shillue on the demands that Abdul El-Sayed denounce Hasan Piker, on Fox News's "The Five," Sept. 18, 2026.
Excerpt from 11:07 to 12:01 of the Fox News video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: Fox News. Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: 00:11:10-00:11:59)
Excerpt
"Obviously, Hasan Piker is ridiculous. He is a podcaster, he's provocative, he does that, that's his game."
About this source
Fox News' own recording of the twelve-minute opening segment of The Five for 18 September 2026, in which the panel discusses Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview. The segment plays the Axios clips of Piker on Iran's nuclear programme and on Mao Zedong, and the Oval Office exchange in which President Trump called Piker "a terrible liability." This locator carries Shillue's answer, which treats Piker as a provocateur and redirects the dispute to El-Sayed's own record.. Speakers were identified from the broadcast itself: MacCallum names the panel in the opening line and hands to each of them by name, and each speaker was confirmed on camera at their locator. Fox's own @TheFive account attributes the closing lines of this passage to Jones, and Fox's page for the segment attributes "the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be infiltrated by influencers" to Conway.
- Author
- Tom Shillue
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
The Five: Kellyanne Conway on Piker and Abdul El-Sayed
Kellyanne Conway on Hasan Piker and Abdul El-Sayed, on Fox News's "The Five," Sept. 18, 2026.
Excerpt from 8:25 to 9:29 of the Fox News video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: Fox News. Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: 00:08:28-00:09:27)
Excerpt
"Here's the problem with Piker: the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be infiltrated by influencers and streamers and to live online."
About this source
Fox News' own recording of the twelve-minute opening segment of The Five for 18 September 2026, in which the panel discusses Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview. The segment plays the Axios clips of Piker on Iran's nuclear programme and on Mao Zedong, and the Oval Office exchange in which President Trump called Piker "a terrible liability." This locator carries Conway's reply to Ford, which turns from Piker to El-Sayed's refusal to disavow him. Fox titled its page for this segment after the closing sentence of this passage.. Speakers were identified from the broadcast itself: MacCallum names the panel in the opening line and hands to each of them by name, and each speaker was confirmed on camera at their locator. Fox's own @TheFive account attributes the closing lines of this passage to Jones, and Fox's page for the segment attributes "the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be infiltrated by influencers" to Conway.
- Author
- Kellyanne Conway
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
The Five: Harold Ford Jr. on Piker's remarks about Mao Zedong
Harold Ford Jr. on Hasan Piker's remarks about Mao Zedong, on Fox News's "The Five," Sept. 18, 2026.
Excerpt from 5:54 to 6:27 of the Fox News video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: Fox News. Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: 00:05:57-00:06:25)
Excerpt
"No Democrat, no Republican, no progressive Democrat or liberal Democrat in their right mind subscribes to any of this."
About this source
Fox News' own recording of the twelve-minute opening segment of The Five for 18 September 2026, in which the panel discusses Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview. The segment plays the Axios clips of Piker on Iran's nuclear programme and on Mao Zedong, and the Oval Office exchange in which President Trump called Piker "a terrible liability." This locator carries Ford's reply immediately after the Mao clip is played. Ford posted this same segment to his own X account the evening it aired.. Speakers were identified from the broadcast itself: MacCallum names the panel in the opening line and hands to each of them by name, and each speaker was confirmed on camera at their locator. Fox's own @TheFive account attributes the closing lines of this passage to Jones, and Fox's page for the segment attributes "the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be infiltrated by influencers" to Conway.
- Author
- Harold Ford Jr.
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
The Five: Johnny "Joey" Jones on Piker's Mao and Iran remarks
Johnny "Joey" Jones on Hasan Piker's Mao and Iran remarks, on Fox News's "The Five," Sept. 18, 2026.
Excerpt from 4:02 to 4:51 of the Fox News video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: Fox News. Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: 00:04:05-00:04:49)
Excerpt
"And then he comes back here to partake in capitalism and talk bad about it."
About this source
Fox News' own recording of the twelve-minute opening segment of The Five for 18 September 2026, in which the panel discusses Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview. The segment plays the Axios clips of Piker on Iran's nuclear programme and on Mao Zedong, and the Oval Office exchange in which President Trump called Piker "a terrible liability." This locator carries Jones's answer in full, from his characterisation of Piker's Mao remarks to his argument about birthright citizenship.. Speakers were identified from the broadcast itself: MacCallum names the panel in the opening line and hands to each of them by name, and each speaker was confirmed on camera at their locator. Fox's own @TheFive account attributes the closing lines of this passage to Jones, and Fox's page for the segment attributes "the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be infiltrated by influencers" to Conway.
- Author
- Johnny "Joey" Jones
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
The Five: Martha MacCallum on Piker's Iran answer
Martha MacCallum on Hasan Piker's Iran answer, on Fox News's "The Five," Sept. 18, 2026.
Excerpt from 2:20 to 3:14 of the Fox News video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: Fox News. Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: 00:02:23-00:03:12)
Excerpt
"But he says regardless of their domestic policies, they should have a weapon."
About this source
Fox News' own recording of the twelve-minute opening segment of The Five for 18 September 2026, in which the panel discusses Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview. The segment plays the Axios clips of Piker on Iran's nuclear programme and on Mao Zedong, and the Oval Office exchange in which President Trump called Piker "a terrible liability." This locator carries MacCallum's reply to the Iran clip, delivered as she hands the discussion to Joey Jones.. Speakers were identified from the broadcast itself: MacCallum names the panel in the opening line and hands to each of them by name, and each speaker was confirmed on camera at their locator. Fox's own @TheFive account attributes the closing lines of this passage to Jones, and Fox's page for the segment attributes "the Democratic Party has allowed itself to be infiltrated by influencers" to Conway.
- Author
- Martha MacCallum
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
Lovett or Leave It: “Jon Lovett & Hasan Piker on Macklemore, Trump’s Economy & Republican Media”
Excerpt
"There’s all these headlines going around — you know, the US is pound for pound worse than al-Qaeda is one of the ones that’s going around. And then you look into what you’re saying, I understand the point that you’re making. … But as you have a bigger platform now, do you think to yourself, you know what, the most helpful and persuasive way for me to make this argument to the people that will hear it is not to be so antagonistic in the framing?"
About this source
Weekly comedy and politics podcast, published 18 September 2026, running 1:03:42, with Hasan Piker as the interview guest. The opening monologue is satirical; the Piker interview is straightforward. The quoted wording is our transcription of the video audio. The episode’s own chapter markers identify the Macklemore and Ed Sheeran segment and the Piker interview.
- Author
- Lovett or Leave It
- Published
- Accessed
Analysis
The Bulwark Daily: "Trump's Chaos Is Costing Him in Farm Country" (w/ Wright Thompson & Jesse Lehrich)
Excerpt
"Hassan Piker has some bad views, but also he was absolutely right about what the U.S. should be doing with regards to the wars in the Middle East."
About this source
Episode of The Bulwark Daily published September 17, 2026, hosted by Tim Miller with guests Jesse Lehrich and Wright Thompson. Most of the episode concerns midterm forecasting, Mississippi and college football and is unrelated to this case. Miller reads the advertisements, which identifies him as the speaker in the passage recorded here; Lehrich responds. Two passages are deliberately not treated as positions: the mention of Thomas Massie, Pete Hegseth and the House recess at 29:03 occurs inside a paid sponsor read for the Trump Epstein Reading Room rather than in editorial commentary, and the 34:25–36:00 segment discusses which 2028 candidates are strongest on AI risk, quoting Ro Khanna secondhand as having said Dario Amodei's letter "didn't go nearly far enough" and that AI executives "should all be in jail" — that quotation is reported by Lehrich and has not been verified against a primary source.
- Author
- The Bulwark
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Alex Thompson posts Piker's full answer on Iran and nuclear weapons
Excerpt
"New clip: Hasan Piker says he believes the Middle East would be more stable if Iran had a nuclear weapon."
About this source
Post by Alex Thompson, the Axios national political correspondent who conducted the interview, at 7:01 PM ET on September 17, 2026, publishing what he describes as Piker's full answer on Iran and nuclear weapons and noting it first aired on CNN's "The Lead" with Jake Tapper. Because it comes from the interviewer and is presented as the complete answer, it is the better record of the exchange than the broadcast excerpt. Mehdi Hasan quoted the post the same evening, reproducing only Piker's line "Do I want Iran to have nuclear arms? No." — a selection highlighting the qualifier omitted from circulating headlines; that post contains no words of Hasan's own and is not recorded as a position.
- Author
- Alex Thompson
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
CNN "The Lead": Piker tells Axios the Middle East "would be more stable" if Iran had a nuclear weapon
Excerpt
"Do you think the Middle East would be more stable if Iran had a nuclear weapon? I believe yes."
About this source
Segment from CNN's "The Lead" posted to the programme's X account at 6:48 PM ET on September 17, 2026, carrying an excerpt of the Axios Show interview given first to CNN by Axios's Alex Thompson. The post's text quotes only the stability answer; the clip shows Piker bracketing it with substantial qualifiers — that he does not want Iran, America, Russia or China to hold nuclear arms, that he is "not advocating," and that he regards the nuclear conversation as a distraction used by Tehran as leverage for sanctions relief. He attributes his reasoning to political scientist John Mearsheimer and applies the same logic to Ukraine. Thompson then discusses the political risk to Democrats and says Democrats he spoke to now regard El-Sayed's primary association with Piker as a mistake. Piker's characterisations of Iranian conduct and his nuclear-deterrence reasoning are his own.
- Author
- The Lead CNN
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Fox News on X: Trump says Piker’s political influence is a problem for Democrats
Excerpt
"“He’s a terrible liability. He’s got a power over some of these Democrats.” “He’s a communist, there’s no question about it.”"
About this source
The network’s own published rendering of the remarks, posted about half an hour after the exchange. It compresses the answer slightly, dropping the two “I think” qualifiers present in the broadcast captions, and omits the reporter’s question.
- Author
- Fox News
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
Oval Office remarks: Trump asked about Hasan Piker (Fox News broadcast capture)
Relevant passage: Approx. 1:11–1:12 into the recording; closed-caption text of the Oval Office pool exchange.
Excerpt
"Mr. President, many leading Democrats have condemned Hasan Piker. What is your take on him and do you think he’s a liability for Democrats? — I do. I think he’s a terrible liability. I think he’s got a power over some of these Democrats and he will vote that way. He’s a communist. There’s no question about it."
About this source
Broadcast capture carrying the full Oval Office exchange, including the reporter’s question, which the widely circulated clips omit. The question is premised on the condemnations of Piker by leading Democrats during the week of the Axios Show interview; several of those condemnations — Fetterman, Dingell, Torres, Gottheimer and El-Sayed — are recorded separately in this case. The hour immediately preceding this broadcast on the same network was given over to the Axios interview, including Piker’s al-Qaeda, Iran and China answers. Quotation is from closed-caption text, which is transmitted in lower case and lightly imperfect; capitalisation has been normalised and nothing else altered.
- Author
- Fox News, via the Internet Archive TV News Archive
- Published
- Accessed
Analysis
"Axios & MS NOW Cynically Farm Outrage Off of Hasan Piker Interviews" (The Humanist Report)
Excerpt
"If you'll recall, Hasan didn't even bring up al-Qaeda on his own volition. It was the interviewer who chose to invoke al-Qaeda."
About this source
26-minute commentary video from progressive YouTube show The Humanist Report, published September 18, 2026, defending Piker and accusing Axios and MS NOW of manufacturing outrage. Quotations are our transcription of the video audio. Figueredo's characterisation of Axios's motives is his own assertion, not an established finding.
- Author
- Mike Figueredo
- Published
- Accessed
Interview
"Hasan Piker on political violence, Israel and why he praises China" -- full Axios Show episode (YouTube)
Excerpt
"I jokingly told my audience, I was like, I'll never make fun of Mao Zedong. He's a great man of history. Of course, there were a lot of excesses. -- What do you mean by excesses? -- Deaths. They're born out of mismanagement and famine."
About this source
Full 56-minute episode of "The Axios Show," published September 18, 2026, interviewer Alex Thompson, taped in Los Angeles. Quotations checked against the recording; Available captions for this episode garble proper nouns badly ("Mao Dong," "Shing Jang," "Assan Biker," "Nithia Ramen") and should not be relied on for wording. Thompson pushes back throughout, reading Piker's past statements back to him and citing Amnesty International on China's treatment of Uyghurs, to which Piker replies that he is "very familiar" and has "criticized it a lot."
- Author
- Axios / Alex Thompson
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
Hasan Piker, "AXIOS INTERVIEWER TRIED TO GET ME CANCELLED" (YouTube)
Excerpt
"[It] would have been probably better if I just didn't do the interview at all. Having said that, it certainly would have been better if I didn't say pound for pound."
About this source
Hasan Piker's own 67-minute response video, published to his YouTube channel September 18, 2026, reacting to the Axios interview and the backlash. Quotations checked against the recording rather than taken from available captions, which garble proper nouns ("Hassan," "Abdullah al-Sayed," "Min-Up" for Minab); proper nouns are corrected here to the names actually spoken. The Washington Examiner's independent rendering of the same passage matches this quoted wording closely -- "Would have been probably better if I just didn't do the interview at all"; "Perhaps someone with a name like Hasan who is being aggressively slammed into the campaign of a guy who's named Abdul should not be saying those things"; "Regardless, I'm too hard-headed and too stubborn to a fault, especially when it comes to analysis and perspective" -- corroborating the wording recorded here. A separate rendering carried by Deltia's Gaming smooths his false starts. Note that at roughly 03:33-04:30 the video replays the original Axios audio, and at roughly 22:24 Piker reads aloud a viewer's comment defending his use of "pound for pound" -- neither passage is his own new speech.
- Author
- Hasan Piker
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Some Democrats Bash Hasan Piker (The Daily Signal)
Excerpt
""Piker condemns America while refusing to condemn one of the 20th century's deadliest dictators, instead lionizing Mao as one of the world's 'great leaders,'" he continued."
About this source
Daily Signal report on Democratic officials criticising Piker after the Axios interview, quoting Reps. Ritchie Torres and Josh Gottheimer. The piece states Gottheimer's remarks were made on X; it does not explicitly name the venue for Torres's remarks, which are introduced only as what Torres "added." Torres's characterisation of Piker's position on Mao is his own.
- Published
- Accessed
Official statement
NRSC press release: "Hasan Piker: America is worse than Al-Qaeda"
Excerpt
""Only someone as radical as Abdul El-Sayed would spend the last two months refusing to disavow a supporter who said 'America deserved 9/11' and that America is worse than the terrorists who killed thousands of Americans that day," said NRSC Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell."
About this source
Official NRSC press release dated September 17, 2026, reproducing the Axios exchange verbatim (including the preceding question, "You said that America is the top dog in terrorism") and closing with a quote from NRSC Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell demanding El-Sayed disavow Piker.
- Author
- National Republican Senatorial Committee
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Fetterman says he 'can't compete' with Piker: 'Base loves him' (The Hill)
Excerpt
""He's an individual that just declared that we are worse than al Qaeda," Fetterman told Fox News's Chad Pergram. "And Democrats are campaigning with him, defending him, and my -- our base loves him. So, I mean, I can't compete with that.""
About this source
The Hill's report on Fetterman's Thursday, September 17, 2026 remarks, which it attributes directly to an exchange with Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram. This rendering preserves a self-correction ("my -- our base loves him") and ends "I can't compete with that"; a Sinclair/National News Desk version of the same remarks smooths the disfluency and ends "I can't compete with that guy." This rendering is treated as the more faithful of the two because it retains the disfluency and names the journalist who took the quote.
- Author
- Sarah Davis
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Streamer Hasan Piker called out by MS NOW hosts in fiery exchange over him being a drag for Democrats (Fox News)
Excerpt
""I used to work campaigns, Hasan, and I have to tell you, if I was a strategist or a consultant or the political director on one of these campaigns, I would absolutely be telling my people to disavow you," Sanders Townsend told Piker in an interview on her "Clock It" podcast."
About this source
Fox News report on Hasan Piker's interview on the MS NOW podcast "Clock It," co-hosted by Symone D. Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels, quoting the exchange at length. The article dates the exchange to Wednesday, September 16, 2026, though one of its photo captions gives September 17. The same article separately recaps Piker's response to an attack ad against Abdul El-Sayed during an earlier Friday livestream, which took place on September 11, 2026.
- Author
- Hanna Panreck
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Fetterman feels like he's 'lost' to Hasan Piker: 'Can't compete' (The National News Desk)
Excerpt
""I feel like I lost to Hasan Piker," he told reporters. ... "He's an individual that just declared that we are worse than al-Qaeda, and Democrats are campaigning with him, defending him, and our base loves him," Fetterman said Thursday. "I can't compete with that guy.""
About this source
Sinclair/The National News Desk report on Fetterman's remarks to reporters at Hunt Valley, Maryland on Thursday, September 17, 2026. Wording varies across outlets: a Fox News rendering (via Chad Pergram) preserves a self-correction ("my -- our base loves him") that this cleaned-up version omits, and a Washington Examiner rendering differs again. The quotation recorded here follows this source; the underlying remarks were spoken, not written.
- Author
- Ray Lewis
- Published
- Accessed
Original text
CNN "Inside Politics" transcript, September 17, 2026: Hasan Piker segment
Relevant passage: Aired 12:00–12:30 ET. 12:14 teaser: Bash previews the segment. 12:15 onward: the Axios clip played in full, then Bash's exchange with Semafor's Dave Weigel. Panel also includes Aaron Blake and Nia-Malika Henderson.
Excerpt
"probably because he's running in a democracy to be part of a democratically elected government, other than as opposed to al-Qaeda, which is an actual terrorist organization."
About this source
Official CNN rush transcript of "Inside Politics" for September 17, 2026. The programme plays a longer excerpt of Piker's Axios answer than the Axios article carries, including the Minab passage and "triple tapping it with Tomahawk missiles" — the fourth source recorded in this case to air more of the interview than Axios published. Host Dana Bash introduces the segment and notes El-Sayed's statement; Semafor's Dave Weigel, who has interviewed Piker, responds with analysis of the political risk to El-Sayed rather than a verdict on the comparison. CNN marks this a rush transcript that may not be in final form. The transcript spells Minab as "Minnab." The same programme's earlier segment reports a New York Times story on Jewish community leaders backing El-Sayed despite concerns about his approach to Israel, which is a separate matter from this case.
- Author
- CNN
- Published
- Accessed
Analysis
The Philip DeFranco Show: "Joe Rogan Accidentally Humiliated Himself in Trump Panic & Hasan Piker VS Axios"
Excerpt
"Even with context, is this deeply out of touch with where most Americans stand? Yes."
About this source
Episode of The Philip DeFranco Show published September 17, 2026, running 32:49; the Piker segment begins at 9:34. Most of the segment is aggregation, summarising reactions from Republicans, Democrats and commentators without DeFranco stating a view. At 12:41 he recites three questions he attributes to other commentators and answers each in his own voice with "Yes," "Yes" and "Also, yes"; those answers are his. The segment plays a longer excerpt of Piker's Axios answer than the Axios article carries, including the Minab passage and "triple tapping it with Tomahawk missiles," and reads out Piker's follow-up posts. DeFranco notes the full interview was due to air the following day and reports that Piker told a reporter it was the most contentious interview he had been involved in. The quoted wording is our transcription of the episode audio.
- Author
- Philip DeFranco
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
The Hill: "Hasan Piker: US commits 'pound for pound' more terrorism than al Qaeda"
Excerpt
"Comparing America to al-Qaeda wasn't an accident — Piker has built a brand on anti-American hate."
About this source
The Hill's report of September 17, 2026, 1:44 PM ET, on backlash to Piker's Axios remarks from both Republicans and Democrats. It carries the fullest set of verbatim reactions found: Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) on social media; the official Republicans account calling on every Democrat supported by Piker to condemn him; and political strategist and "The View" co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin saying Piker is "an absolute soundbite machine for Republican ads." It also reproduces Piker's own follow-up posts, including a second post beyond the one already recorded in this case, about elites terrorising the world while ordinary Americans foot the bill. The report notes the Pentagon has not taken responsibility for the Minab strike.
- Author
- Dominick Mastrangelo
- Published
- Accessed
Analysis
Zeteo: "Hasan Piker Says America Has Killed Lots of People. Donald Trump Agrees"
Excerpt
"Piker's comment, while obviously controversial, is objectively true."
About this source
Signed analysis piece co-bylined by Andrew Perez and Mehdi Hasan, founder of Zeteo, published September 17, 2026. It defends Piker's comparison as accurate on death tolls, citing Brown University's Costs of War estimate of 432,000 civilians killed by direct post-9/11 war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Pakistan between 2001 and 2023, alongside Vietnam, Laos and Indonesia figures, and argues Axios's headline was calibrated for outrage. It draws a parallel to Trump's 2017 remark to Bill O'Reilly, "There are a lot of killers. We've got a lot of killers. What, do you think our country's so innocent?" It also reports reactions from CNN commentator Scott Jennings and activist Shannon Watts, characterised in the authors' own terms. Note a factual variance on the Minab strike: the piece says the airstrikes killed 150 people including more than 100 children, whereas Piker says 140 schoolgirls; neither figure is established here, and the UN fact-finding mission's report is recorded separately in this case.
- Author
- Andrew Perez and Mehdi Hasan
- Published
- Accessed
Interview
CNN: "'I want Hasan Piker to go away!': Michigan congresswoman voices frustration after left-wing streamer's recent interview"
Rep. Debbie Dingell discusses Hasan Piker and Abdul El-Sayed on CNN, Sept. 17, 2026.
Excerpt from 0:42 to 2:02 of the CNN video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: CNN. Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: 2:02 clip. 00:06–00:41: the Axios exchange played back, including Alex Thompson's question and Piker's answer; 00:43–01:00: CNN reports El-Sayed told Manu Raju before the clip published that he would not campaign with Piker in the general election, and asks whether he needs to do more to distance himself; 01:02–01:58: Rep. Debbie Dingell's answer.)
Excerpt
"I'm so sick of talking about Hasan Piker and I want Hasan Piker to go away."
About this source
CNN political programming segment of September 17, 2026, in which Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan is asked whether Abdul El-Sayed needs to do more to distance himself from Hasan Piker after Piker's Axios interview. The segment separately reports that El-Sayed told CNN's Manu Raju, before the interview clip published, that he would not campaign with Piker in the general election, having done so in the primary. Quotations are taken from CNN's broadcast closed captions, which render proper nouns correctly but are delivered in rolling form.
- Author
- CNN
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Hasan Piker says Axios "clickbaited" his answer
Excerpt
"i give a nuanced answer about acts of terror this admin has caused and they clickbait it."
About this source
First-party post from Hasan Piker's verified X account, posted September 17, 2026 in reply to the teaser clip Axios published from his interview on "The Axios Show." He accuses Axios of "farming the interview" and turning a nuanced answer into clickbait, and restates the substance by citing U.S. arming of al-Qaeda since 9/11 and the former commander who became president of Syria. Those historical characterisations are his. Fox News's "Outnumbered" quoted the post the same day.
- Author
- Hasan Piker
- Published
- Accessed
Original video
Fox News "Outnumbered": "Hasan Piker under fire after comparing US to al Qaeda"
Lara Trump discusses Hasan Piker on Fox News's "Outnumbered," Sept. 17, 2026.
Excerpt from 3:00 to 4:37 of the Fox News video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: Fox News. Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: 11:20 clip. 00:00-00:35: Harris Faulkner's introduction; 01:21-01:40: extended clip of Piker's Axios answer; 01:46-01:54: Piker's post criticising the interview's presentation; 02:12-02:25: El-Sayed's statement read aloud; 03:03-04:35: Lara Trump; 04:48-06:24: Kennedy; 06:37 onward: Joey Jones.)
Excerpt
"To say that America is anything like a terrorist organization is totally outrageous."
About this source
Segment from Fox News's "Outnumbered" broadcast September 17, 2026, hosted by Harris Faulkner with panellists Donna Rotunno, Lara Trump, Kennedy and Joey Jones, reacting to Hasan Piker's Axios interview. The segment plays a longer excerpt of Piker's answer than the Axios article carries, including his claim that the terror also has "dramatic consequences on the home front," and reports that Piker afterwards accused Axios of clickbaiting a nuanced answer. Faulkner's introduction states that Abdul El-Sayed, who brought Piker onto his Michigan primary campaign, is now distancing himself. Quotations were checked against both the broadcast closed captions and an independent transcription of the audio; the two disagree in places and only sentences on which they agree are quoted. The closed captions garble several proper nouns ("Rotondo" for Rotunno, "hooties" for Houthis, "bag Daddy" for Baghdadi).
- Author
- Fox News
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
TheWrap: "Hasan Piker Stands by Calling America the 'Top Dog in Terrorism' in Contentious Interview"
Excerpt
"I do not agree with this statement, nor do I give much weight to the statements made by a social media streamer."
About this source
TheWrap report of September 17, 2026 carrying fuller quotation from Piker's Axios interview than the Axios article itself, including his citation of a U.S. missile strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, and his statement that the analysis "doesn't justify" the September 11 attacks. It also carries Abdul El-Sayed's full statement to Axios rejecting the comparison, and his separate Fox 2 Detroit debate remarks of September 15 on why he engages with Piker. It notes the Associated Press found evidence at least one U.S. missile struck the school, that the Trump administration has not released the Pentagon investigation's findings, and that the death toll remains unknown; the 140 figure is Piker's.
- Author
- A.J. Katz
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
NPR: UN fact-finding mission on alleged US war crimes in the Iran war
Relevant passage: Finding on the Minab school strike
Excerpt
"the mission found reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks resulting in the loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects"
About this source
Report of the United Nations fact-finding mission on Iran, published 17 September 2026, the same day as Piker's interview. It bears directly on the strike he cites as the basis for his comparison, finding reasonable grounds to believe the United States conducted the two-tap strike on the Minab school and that this constituted a war crime. A finding of reasonable grounds is not a legal determination of guilt. The Pentagon has not released the findings of its own administrative review and no official death toll exists; reported tolls range from about 150 to 175 dead, and breakdowns published by Iranian outlets include boys, teachers and parents as well as girls.
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Mike Rogers post calling on El-Sayed to condemn Piker
Excerpt
"BREAKING: Conman @AbdulElSayed's running mate Hasan Piker just said that America is worse than Al-Qaeda."
About this source
Mike Rogers's own post from his Senate campaign account on 17 September 2026, responding to Piker's Axios interview the same day. Secondary reporting consistently quotes only the first sentence and renders the live handle as "[Abdul El-Sayed's]"; the post continues "Abdul — enough is enough. Condemn Piker once and for all," which is the actual demand. This is distinct from Rogers's 10 September remarks at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, which predate the interview and belong to the separate case on his September 11 accusation.
- Author
- Mike Rogers
- Published
- Accessed
Corrections
(1)
Corrections address errors in our reporting or labels. When a speaker changes their position, we add a separate statement and link it to the earlier one.
Reporting correction
Correction to: Statement by Hasan Piker
- Previous language
- Said on a livestream on Friday, September 18, 2026, after playing a Republican attack ad against Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed that featured clips of Piker saying "I hate America."
- Corrected language
- Said on a livestream on Friday, September 11, 2026, after playing a Republican attack ad against Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed that featured clips of Piker saying "I hate America."
This entry dated Piker's livestream remarks to Friday, September 18, 2026. The livestream took place on Friday, September 11, 2026, as a Fox News report published September 13 shows. We have corrected the date and added that report as a source.
This corrects our account of what happened.
Fox News report on Hasan Piker's interview on the MS NOW podcast "Clock It," co-hosted by Symone D. Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels, quoting the exchange at length. The article dates the exchange to Wednesday, September 16, 2026, though one of its photo captions gives September 17. The same article separately recaps Piker's response to an attack ad against Abdul El-Sayed during an earlier Friday livestream, which took place on September 11, 2026.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Fox News report, published Sunday, September 13, 2026, on Piker's livestream of Friday, September 11, 2026, in which he responded to an attack ad against Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and defended his right to say he hates America. The source redacts his expletives.
Share or embed this case
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the case page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/cases/hasan-piker-united-states-terrorism-al-qaeda-comparison
The Dispute Index. "Hasan Piker's Axios Show interview claims about terrorism, Iran, China and Israel". First published: 2026-09-17. Last updated: 2026-09-25. https://disputeindex.com/cases/hasan-piker-united-states-terrorism-al-qaeda-comparison