Hasan Piker's claim that the United States commits more terrorism than al-Qaeda
Hasan Piker told Axios the United States has caused more terrorism than al-Qaeda "pound for pound as far as the number of deaths." Abdul El-Sayed, whom Piker backed in Michigan's primary, rejected the comparison. Is the comparison defensible?
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
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 Associated Press found evidence that at least one U.S. missile struck the school; the Trump administration has not released the findings of a Pentagon investigation and the death toll remains unknown, so the figure of 140 is Piker's and is not established here.
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 dossier 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. CNN reported that before the interview clip published, El-Sayed had told its correspondent Manu Raju that he would not campaign with Piker in the general election, having campaigned with him during the primary; that is CNN's account of what El-Sayed told a reporter rather than a quotation from him. 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 dossier.
People in this case
Hasan PikerDirectly involved
Mehdi HasanCommented
Timeline
4 timeline entries on this page. Dates: September 17, 2026
September 2026
4 events
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.
Response record
Responses
Latest recorded positions: 8. Dates: September 17, 2026
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
3 responses on this page
Mehdi Hasan"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."
Open source (opens in a new tab)Zeteo: "Hasan Piker Says America Has Killed Lots of People. Donald Trump Agrees"Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's claim that the United States commits more terrorism than al-Qaeda
Why this label?
This dossier's fixed reference point is Piker's claim that the United States commits more terrorism than al-Qaeda. 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 challenges_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.
Read context and background
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.
Role at the time: Broadcaster and founder of Zeteo, co-writing a signed analysis piece with Andrew Perez
Before the 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.
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.
Hasan PikerDirectly involved"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."
Read the original post (opens in a new tab)Hasan Piker says Axios "clickbaited" his answerDefended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's claim that the United States commits more terrorism than al-Qaeda
Why this label?
This dossier's fixed reference point is Piker's claim that the United States commits more terrorism than al-Qaeda. The post's opening move is a complaint about Axios's framing, which would point to challenges_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.
Read context and background
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.
Role at the time: Twitch streamer and political commentator, posting on his verified X account
Before the 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."
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.
- Hasan PikerDirectly involved
"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."
Open the original interview (opens in a new tab)Axios: "Hasan Piker on 'The Axios Show': America worse than al-Qaeda 'pound for pound'"Open source (opens in a new tab)TheWrap: "Hasan Piker Stands by Calling America the 'Top Dog in Terrorism' in Contentious Interview"Defended or excusedCase context: Hasan Piker's claim that the United States commits more terrorism than al-Qaeda
Why this label?
The case's fixed reference point is Piker's claim that the United States commits more terrorism than al-Qaeda. 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 dossiers, 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.
Read context and background
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.
Role at the time: Twitch streamer and political commentator, interviewed for "The Axios Show"
Before the 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.
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.
Sources
(9)
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
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 on this dossier, 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 on this dossier.
- 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"
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. The CNN page is not accessible to this browser for legal reasons; the captions were retrieved from the video's own subtitle track.
- 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"
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. X blocks automated retrieval of post pages, so authorship, date and text were confirmed through X's own embed endpoint; an editor should open the post before publication. 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 dossier on his September 11 accusation.
- Author
- Mike Rogers
- Published
- Accessed
Corrections
(0)
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.
No corrections on this page.