El-Sayed Tries to Limit Damage From His Association With Hasan Piker

El-Sayed Tries to Limit Damage From His Association With Hasan Piker

Fresh on the heels of his vile San Francisco sing-along mocking the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Twitch streamer Hasan Piker made headlines again for his latest round of antisemitic remarks. Apparently aware that his association with the vulgar provocateur is becoming a political liability, Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed sought to put some distance between himself and Piker in a statement Monday.

Jewish Insider reported that during a Twitch stream last week, Piker essentially said American Jews who support Israel are inviting violence. Their support for “a country that inevitably will be seen as Jewish ISIS” could prompt someone to “take action” against Jewish people in the U.S.

The comments came during a discussion of Michigan state Senator Jeremy Moss, an outspoken advocate for Israel. Moss is currently running to represent Michigan’s 11th congressional district.

Piker said:

People don’t f*** with Israel any longer. If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action, not against the State of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.

I don’t know how people don’t recognize how dangerous this predicament is, how dangerous this is for Jews. You’re running around basically tying your entire identity to a country that inevitably will be seen as Jewish ISIS and you’re saying, as Jews, this is all we care about. You’re making antisemitism worse.

Hasan Piker tells American Jews to stop supporting Israel or someone will “come around and take action. Not against Israel, but American Jews.” pic.twitter.com/KMnvz0FofR

— DSA Watch (@DSA_Watch) August 23, 2026

Given the tightness of his race against Republican nominee Mike Rogers — and the enormous stakes involved — El-Sayed sought to clarify his position on Piker’s controversial rhetoric.

He tried to reassure voters by repeating something he’d said following his primary victory earlier this month. “My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters.”

It wasn’t credible then. It’s even less credible now.

The statement continued. Antisemitism, he argued, was a “scourge that we need to address it in all its forms.” He noted that he “stand[s] against any rhetoric that puts the community at risk.”

And he wanted to be crystal clear: “Nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople.”

Except for, maybe, Hasan Piker.

Finally, he emphasized that “while politicians and pundits try to make this race about a Twitch streamer, we’re going to be talking about gas, groceries, good schools, and healthcare. Because that’s what Michiganders keep asking about. It’s why I’m fighting to get money out of politics, money in your pocket, and Medicare for All.”

I imagine no Republicans — and few independent voters — will find this message persuadable.

It may be too late for El-Sayed to distance himself from the far-left antisemite. The two are seen as allies. Not only did they campaign together during the primary, but Piker was standing right beside him, reveling in his victory.

My statement on Hasan Piker’s comments regarding Jeremy Moss: pic.twitter.com/bUm96ANJXT

— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) August 24, 2026

El-Sayed wasn’t the only Democrat to run for cover after Piker’s remarks were made public. U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI) addressed the issue in a post on X, going considerably further than El-Sayed in her condemnation.

The congresswoman did not mince words. She denounced Piker’s “calls for violence against American Jews” and called his “target[ing]” of Moss “unacceptable. Full stop.”

Then she turned her fire directly on Piker:

Piker is a hack who thrives on hate, shock and awe because he lacks substance. It’s dangerous for everyone. We should all be calling out this disgusting rhetoric so it loses its [sic] grip on our politics once and for all. It has no place in Michigan, and no place in our country.

Today, Congresswoman Hillary Scholten issued the following statement after Twitch streamer Hasan Piker said that American Jews who support Israel are inviting violence. https://t.co/0lFd4L7HfX

In his stream, Piker directly discussed and targeted Michigan State Senator Jeremy… pic.twitter.com/cBsicVA310

— Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (@RepScholten) August 24, 2026

Perhaps wary of making a powerful and potentially dangerous enemy in the midst of his congressional campaign, Moss himself offered a conspicuously timid response.

An X user summed it up best: Moss “tries to ‘both sides’ the attack on him by Hasan Piker and comes across like a wimpy political hack.”

Moss posted the lukewarm statement with the caption, “There’s no room for extremism in Michigan.”

There is no room for backbone in Jeremy Moss's anatomy. He tries to "both sides" the attack on him by Hasan Piker and comes across like a wimpy political hack. https://t.co/FYQBNBBtDP

— Gary Weiss (@gary_weiss) August 24, 2026

The problem for El-Sayed is that Piker isn’t some random Twitch streamer whom Republicans dragged into the race. El-Sayed chose to campaign alongside him and welcomed his support when it was politically useful. Now that Piker’s rhetoric has become politically toxic, declaring that he does not speak for the campaign feels less like a repudiation than an attempt at damage control.

But political alliances have consequences. El-Sayed was happy to stand beside Piker when the streamer could help energize his progressive base. With a closely contested Senate seat — and potentially control of the chamber hanging in the balance — Michigan voters will decide whether his effort to distance himself has indeed come too little, too late.

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