Leftist Streamer Apologizes After Vile 9/11 Comment

Left-wing streamer Hasan Piker is once again defending his 2019 claim that America “deserved” the September 11 attacks, arguing that the only real issue was how he phrased it.

Appearing on Mehdi Hasan’s podcast, Piker addressed the viral remarks that have followed him for years. “I said it in 2019, and you know if you listen to the full conversation, you very quickly understand what I’m talking about. I should have phrased things better,” he said.

The original Twitch comments were blunt: “This is so insane. America deserved 9/11 dude, f\*\*\* it. I’m saying it… We totally brought it on ourselves.” Nearly 3,000 Americans died in those attacks, the deadliest terrorist strike in U.S. history.

Piker offered a limited apology. “I apologize for those who I have offended, but most importantly, apologize for giving an opportunity to the right to just like use this against me.” He maintained that the underlying point remained valid and stood by his long habit of using harsh pejoratives against groups he opposes.

The controversy intensified because of Piker’s high-profile support for Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed. El-Sayed called the 9/11 statement “dumb” but accused media of “gotcha politics” and trying to revive “cancel culture.”

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders also weighed in, labeling the remark a “dumb statement” while insisting Piker still belongs in the Democratic “big tent” because of his large following and other views that “are making sense to a lot of people.”

Piker has a documented history of inflammatory language, including calling Republicans “inbred hicks” and referring to Nazis as “inbred” and “pigs.” He noted he has been banned from platforms for such speech yet continues to defend the practice.

The episode has left some Democrats publicly distancing themselves from the specific wording while refusing to fully sever ties with a popular online voice. For many Americans who lost family members or friends on September 11, the distinction between “wording” and “content” offers little comfort.

Whether Piker’s continued influence within progressive circles will face lasting consequences remains to be seen.