House Democrat: Party 'does not stand for what Hasan Piker stands for'

Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss (Mass.) on Sunday said the party does not stand for what Hasan Piker does and criticized his rhetoric as it relates to political violence.

"Piker's ideology, whether it was seeming to celebrate or at least excuse 9/11, whether it is seeming to excuse the assassination of Charlie Kirk, which I condemned immediately, the Democratic Party does not stand for what Hasan Piker stands for," Auchincloss said during an appearance on Fox News's "Fox News Sunday."

Piker is a left-wing Twitch streamer who has made appearances alongside several democratic socialists and other progressive candidates in congressional races as Democrats try to spur a blue wave in November.

He's received blowback for alleging the U.S. "totally brought" the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack "on ourselves," and videos from last week show him dancing while singing an AI-generated song entitled "We Are Charlie Kirk," in reference to the right-wing influencer who was assassinated last year.

Piker walked back the remarks about the 9/11 terror attacks two days after sharing them in a separate interview on "The Young Turks."

However, his views, which some see as antisemitic, have continued to gain traction.

In a recent interview, Piker said he frequently uses "pejoratives" when describing Israeli settlers and racial supremacist groups, including "inbred" and "pigs."

Earlier this month, Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) and other lawmakers condemned Piker after he stated during a livestream that American Jews who support Israel are inviting action against themselves, specifically showing a picture of Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss.

Auchincloss, who is Jewish, said the Democratic Party should be doing more to engage young voters but disavowed Piker's approach.

"The Democratic Party also needs to be able to reach young voters from all walks of life who are angry at a status quo in which they cannot afford to buy a home, in which they do not believe Social Security will be there for them in their retirement, and in which they see corruption run rampant in Washington, D.C.," Auchincloss said.

"And we need to go out there and communicate with this younger generation on the basis of a new American dream, in which, with hard work and with fair play, you get an excellent education by 18, you get a home of your own by 30, and you have a dignified retirement by 65," he added.