---
title: "Abdul El-Sayed disavows Hasan Piker’s 2019 remark that US ‘deserved’ 9/11 attacks"
publication: "MediaBias News"
url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/abdul-el-sayed-disavows-hasan-pikers-2019-remark-that-us-deserved-911-attacks"
api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/abdul-el-sayed-disavows-hasan-pikers-2019-remark-that-us-deserved-911-attacks"
markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/abdul-el-sayed-disavows-hasan-pikers-2019-remark-that-us-deserved-911-attacks.md"
audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/abdul-el-sayed-disavows-hasan-pikers-2019-remark-that-us-deserved-911-attacks"
category: "Politics"
area: "United States"
published: "2026-08-11T21:46:07.159Z"
source_reported: "2026-08-11T03:01:31.000Z"
updated: "2026-08-12T00:15:29.444Z"
trust_score: 50
critic_score: 87
hype_score: 30
assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis"
fact_check_status: "not-performed"
coverage_measured: "2026-08-12T00:00:33.666146+00:00"
---

# Abdul El-Sayed disavows Hasan Piker’s 2019 remark that US ‘deserved’ 9/11 attacks

*The Michigan Senate candidate called the comment a ‘dumb statement’ but continues to campaign with Piker*

**Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): 

- Trust 50 of 100, higher is better. Trust 50 because the report names El‑Sayed and Piker as sources but lacks multiple independent outlets or documents.
- Craft 87 of 100, higher is better. Critic 87 for clear quotes, context, specific names and coherent narrative without speculation.
- Hype 30 of 100, lower is better. Hype 30; headline mildly emphasizes controversy but article remains measured.

Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology.

**The short version**

- Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, called Hasan Piker’s 2019 remark that the U.S. ‘deserved’ the 9/11 attacks a ‘dumb statement’ during an NBC News interview on 10 August 2026.
- Piker, a Twitch streamer and political commentator, said his comment was intended as criticism of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, not an endorsement of the attacks. He later disavowed the remark.
- El-Sayed has continued to appear with Piker at campaign events, including a Detroit gathering for content creators supporting his candidacy last week.
- Right-rated outlets emphasised the controversy over the 2019 remark and El-Sayed’s association with Piker, while centre-rated reports focused on the disavowal itself.

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat, publicly dismissed a 2019 comment by Twitch streamer Hasan Piker that the U.S. ‘deserved’ the 9/11 terrorist attacks. El-Sayed called the remark a ‘dumb statement’ during an interview on NBC News’s ‘Meet the Press’ on 10 August 2026. He added that Piker himself would likely describe the comment the same way and had disavowed it.

Piker made the remark in a 2019 video, later explaining on the left-wing talk show *The Young Turks* that he was criticising U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. He said his comment was meant to highlight the consequences of U.S. involvement in the region, including the arming of insurgent groups and efforts to destabilise governments. El-Sayed has continued to campaign with Piker despite the controversy, including at a Detroit event last week for content creators supporting his candidacy.

## What the coverage left out

No left-rated outlet ran this story. None of the right-rated digests mentioned Piker’s explanation that his 2019 comment was intended as criticism of U.S. foreign policy, nor did they include his disavowal of the remark. The centre-rated reports did not address Republican criticism of El-Sayed’s association with Piker or the fact-checking of Mike Rogers’ statement.

## Who covered it

Shares of the 18 covering outlets with a published leaning rating:

- Left: 11% (2)
- Centre: 17% (3)
- Right: 72% (13)

1 of 19 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-12T00:00:33.666146+00:00.

**Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 3 times; 1 check found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-12T00:15:29.444Z.

## How the sides framed it

### Left

- The two left-rated outlets led on Hasan Piker’s reaction to Joe Scarborough’s criticism of him. Both carried Piker’s denial that he had ever been invited onto MSNBC shows, despite Scarborough’s call for Democrats to distance themselves from him. HuffPost included Piker’s 2023 remarks about the 7 October attacks and his refusal to condemn sexual violence during them.
- HuffPost’s report quoted Piker’s livestream directly: he called Israel an 'emotional support apartheid state' and accused Scarborough of believing 'the Palestinians deserved it'. The same report noted that Abdul El-Sayed, who had campaigned with Piker, had won Michigan’s Democratic Senate nomination without identifying as a socialist.
- Neither outlet printed El-Sayed’s disavowal of Piker’s 2019 remark that the US 'deserved' the 9/11 attacks. The IBTimes UK digest did not mention the 2019 remark or the disavowal.

### Centre

- The two centre-rated reports, published by KATU and KFOX, led on El-Sayed’s disavowal of Piker’s remark. Both outlets quoted El-Sayed’s description of the comment as a ‘dumb statement’ and included Piker’s explanation that he was referencing U.S. foreign policy. Neither report framed the association with Piker as a campaign liability or suggested it could harm El-Sayed’s electoral prospects. The reports noted that El-Sayed had maintained a working relationship with Piker despite attempts by critics to resurrect the 2019 remark.

### Right

- The 12 right-rated digests led on the controversy surrounding Piker’s 2019 remark and El-Sayed’s association with him. Several digests highlighted Republican criticism of El-Sayed for campaigning with Piker, including a ‘Pants on Fire’ fact-check rating from PolitiFact targeting Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers for stating that El-Sayed ‘believes America deserved 9/11.’ The digests from Fox News, The Western Journal, and Hot Air framed El-Sayed’s disavowal as reluctant or insufficient, noting that he had previously declined to condemn Piker’s comment. The Western Journal quoted El-Sayed saying he was focused on ‘who I’m campaigning to’ rather than who he campaigns with.
- Breitbart’s digest focused on a separate controversy involving Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who accused El-Sayed of suggesting she ‘deserved to be threatened’ over concerns about the state’s Democratic Convention. This angle was not covered by any other outlet in the sample.

**Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding.

## Factuality profile of the covering outlets

These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true.

- low: 2
- mixed: 6
- high: 9
- unknown: 1
- veryHigh: 1

## Verification scope

This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true.

## Original reporting this was written from

- [HuffPost](https://huffpost.com/entry/hasan-piker-joe-scarboroughs-meltdown_n_6a7b283ae4b07b8d6224ea19) — Hasan Piker Calls Out 1 Glaring Flaw In Joe Scarborough’s On-Air Meltdown About Him
- [IBTimes UK](https://ibtimes.co.uk/elon-musk-hasan-piker-controversy-white-race-comments-1813634) — Elon Musk Says Hasan Piker Meant It When He Vowed To Destroy the White Race
- [OAN](https://oann.com/newsroom/el-sayed-pushes-back-on-criticism-over-campaign-rallies-with-controversial-far-left-influencer-hasan-piker) — El-Sayed pushes back on criticism over campaign rallies with controversial far-left influencer Hasan Piker
- [Forbes](https://forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2026/08/11/how-left-wing-twitch-streamer-hasan-piker-has-divided-democrats) — How Left-Wing Twitch Streamer Hasan Piker Has Divided Democrats
- [Breitbart](https://breitbart.com/clips/2026/08/10/mi-a-g-nessel-el-sayed-saying-perhaps-i-deserve-to-be-threatened) — MI A.G. Nessel: El-Sayed Saying 'Perhaps I Deserve to Be Threatened'
- [NewsBusters](https://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2026/08/10/fact-checkers-pounce-mike-rogers-over-america-deserved-911-note) — 'Fact Checkers' POUNCE on Mike Rogers Over 'America Deserved 9/11' Note
- [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/media/el-sayed-disavows-hasan-pikers-911-comments-decries-cancel-culture) — El-Sayed disavows Hasan Piker's 9/11 comments but decries 'cancel culture'
- [The National Desk](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/senate-hopeful-abdul-el-sayed-dismisses-hasan-pikers-911-comments-dumb-statement) — Senate hopeful El-Sayed dismisses Hasan Piker's 9/11 comments: 'Dumb statement'
- [KATU](https://katu.com/news/nation-world/senate-hopeful-abdul-el-sayed-dismisses-hasan-pikers-911-comments-dumb-statement) — Senate hopeful El-Sayed dismisses Hasan Piker's 9/11 comments: 'Dumb statement'
- [WGXA](https://wgxa.tv/news/nation-world/senate-hopeful-abdul-el-sayed-dismisses-hasan-pikers-911-comments-dumb-statement) — Senate hopeful El-Sayed dismisses Hasan Piker's 9/11 comments: 'Dumb statement'
- [KFOX](https://kfoxtv.com/news/nation-world/senate-hopeful-abdul-el-sayed-dismisses-hasan-pikers-911-comments-dumb-statement) — Senate hopeful El-Sayed dismisses Hasan Piker's 9/11 comments: 'Dumb statement'
- [Conservative News Daily](https://conservativenewsdaily.net/breaking-news/el-sayed-disavows-hasan-pikers-controversial-9-11-comments) — El Sayed disavows Hasan Piker’s controversial 9/11 comments
- [Washington Examiner](https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4680806/abdul-el-sayed-distances-hasan-piker-controversy-michigan-senate-race) — El Sayed disavows Hasan Piker's controversial 9/11 comments
- [The Western Journal](https://westernjournal.com/el-sayed-says-fine-campaigning-hasan-america-deserved-9-11-piker-says-focused-campaigning) — El-Sayed Says He's Fine Campaigning With Hasan 'America Deserved 9/11' Piker, Says He's Focused on Who 'I'm Campaigning To'
- [Bizpac Review](https://bizpacreview.com/2026/08/10/nbc-finally-asks-el-sayed-the-hasan-piker-question-he-cant-dodge-1654203) — NBC finally asks El-Sayed the Hasan Piker question he can’t dodge
- [ussanews.com](https://ussanews.com/2026/08/10/nbc-finally-asks-el-sayed-the-hasan-piker-question-he-cant-dodge) — NBC finally asks El-Sayed the Hasan Piker question he can’t dodge
- [American Wire News](https://americanwirenews.com/nbc-finally-asks-el-sayed-the-hasan-piker-question-he-cant-dodge) — NBC finally asks El-Sayed the Hasan Piker question he can't dodge · American Wire News
- [Hot Air](https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2026/08/10/too-fun-to-check-el-sayed-refuses-to-renounce-hasan-america-deserved-911-piker-n3817834) — Too Fun to Check: El-Sayed Refuses to Renounce Hasan 'America Deserved 9/11' Piker
- [Yeshiva World News](https://theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2583956/9-11-comments-el-sayed-disavows-hasan-pikers-claim-that-america-deserved-attacks.html) — 9/11 COMMENTS: El-Sayed Disavows Hasan Piker’s Claim That America “Deserved” Attacks

## Questions

**What did Hasan Piker say about the 9/11 attacks?**

In 2019, Hasan Piker said the U.S. ‘deserved’ the 9/11 attacks, later explaining he meant to criticise U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. He disavowed the remark after backlash. Abdul El-Sayed called the comment a ‘dumb statement’ during an NBC News interview on 10 August 2026.

**Why is Abdul El-Sayed’s association with Hasan Piker controversial?**

El-Sayed has continued to campaign with Piker despite the 2019 remark, drawing criticism from Republicans. Right-rated outlets emphasised the controversy, while centre-rated reports focused on El-Sayed’s disavowal of the comment without framing it as a campaign liability.

**Did any outlets fact-check claims about El-Sayed’s stance on 9/11?**

PolitiFact rated Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers’ statement that El-Sayed ‘believes America deserved 9/11’ as ‘Pants on Fire.’ The fact-check was mentioned in right-rated digests but not in centre-rated reports.

---

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