Abdul El-Sayed Calls Streamer Hasan Piker’s Past 9/11 Comment ‘Dumb’

The Michigan Senate candidate did not answer whether he plans to appear with Piker again on the campaign trail.

Election 2026 Michigan

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed called it “gotcha politics” to criticize his affiliation with streamer Hasan Piker. Paul Sancya/AP

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed denounced streamer Hasan Piker’s past comment that America deserved the Sept. 11 attacks, calling it a “dumb statement.”

“Of course it was a dumb statement and of course I think Hasan himself would say that was a dumb statement,” El-Sayed said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

El-Sayed appeared with Piker on the campaign trail ahead of the Michigan primary, triggering a backlash over Piker’s 2019 comment that “America deserved 9/11, dude,” and that we “totally brought it on ourselves.” Piker, a left-wing commentator whose Twitch stream is one of the platform’s most subscribed channels, walked those comments back two days later.