Fetterman offers El-Sayed $50,000 to hold a 9/11 rally with Piker
John FettermanUnited States senator from Pennsylvania, interviewed on Fox News's "America's Newsroom"
On Fox News's "America's Newsroom" on September 2, Sen. John Fetterman offered Abdul El-Sayed $50,000 to hold a rally with Hasan Piker on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks and explain why America deserved them, echoing Piker's 2019 remark. The Washington Examiner reported the total offer reached $100,000, with a second $50,000 tied to El-Sayed appearing with his half-sister, though that portion is reported rather than quoted. Fetterman is among the few Democrats to attack El-Sayed publicly over the association. The framing that El-Sayed would have to explain why America deserved the attacks is Fetterman's rhetorical device, not a position El-Sayed has stated.
“I'm offering $50,000 for you to do a rally with Hasan Piker on 9/11, the anniversary, and you can all explain to people why America deserved that 25 years ago.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Mike Rogers’s 9/11 accusation against Abdul El-Sayed
After Michigan’s August 2026 Senate primary, Mike Rogers asserted that Abdul El-Sayed believed America deserved the September 11 attacks. His campaign defended that accusation by citing El-Sayed’s association with Hasan Piker and reluctance to disavow him. El-Sayed had explicitly rejected justifying 9/11 and argued that appearing with a person did not imply agreement. He described Rogers’s attacks as an effort to divide voters through Islamophobia. Pod Save America hosts Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer later debated the strategy and construction of a related Republican ad without endorsing its factual claims.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Washington Examiner report of September 2, 2026, 1:08 PM ET, on remarks Sen. John Fetterman made that day on Fox News's "America's Newsroom." The report and its headline describe a total offer of up to $100,000, with a second $50,000 tied to El-Sayed appearing with his half-sister, but the only passage quoted directly is the first offer, which is what is quoted here. The remarks predate both the September 11 anniversary and Piker's September 17 Axios interview, so they respond to the El-Sayed–Piker association and Piker's earlier "America deserved 9/11" remark rather than to the al-Qaeda comparison.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
El-Sayed had campaigned with Piker during the Michigan Democratic Senate primary, and Republican-aligned groups had begun advertising against him over the association. Fetterman has been among the few Democrats to criticise both Piker and El-Sayed publicly over their ties.
After the quotation
The remarks predate the September 11 anniversary and Piker's September 17 Axios interview. No rally took place. El-Sayed continued to face questions about the association through September, and after the Axios interview said he did not agree with Piker's comparison, which is recorded separately.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Fetterman answers that question in the affirmative: his dare treats El-Sayed as answerable for Piker's view, inviting him to explain it alongside him. That places him with Alyssa Brouillet (433), labeled "Defended or excused" for supplying the campaign's rationale for the accusation.
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- People and groups discussed
- Abdul El-Sayed, Hasan Piker
More from this case
Read the full caseAbdul El-Sayed calls Piker’s 9/11 remark “a dumb comment” and rejects its use in the campaign
“It’s a dumb comment. He himself has called it a dumb comment. And they keep bringing it up because all they can talk about is the comment of a guy who has zero power aside from his stream, rather than talk about the guy who has a lot of power to make dumb wars that we’re paying for.”Read statement
El-Sayed disavows Piker's al-Qaeda comparison and says he gives it little weight
“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.”Read statement
Mike Rogers renews his rationale for the 9/11-related accusation against Abdul El-Sayed
“He can’t walk away from this, and he said multiple times that he won’t disavow what [Hasan Piker] said.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Fetterman offers El-Sayed $50,000 to hold a 9/11 rally with Piker". First published: 2026-09-17. Last updated: 2026-09-25. https://disputeindex.com/events/974-on-fox-news-s-america-s-newsroom-on