DETROIT — On the eve of his Senate primary, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed stumped with controversial lefty streamer Hasan Piker, who once claimed that “America deserved 9/11” — and delivered a final speech reflecting on the country’s flaws.
“I’ve been seeing a lot of clips of like white dude bros that are so stoked to vote for you in the f–king Democratic primaries,” Piker marveled about El-Sayed. “Like, these are people that normally never vote at all, let alone in a primary, let alone for a Democrat.”
The two also gloated over veteran Democratic strategist James Carville floating the possibility of leaving the party if Piker takes over. The streamer argued that the threat was “sweetening the deal.”
“If you look at what happened with Trump, you had a whole bunch of like center-right people realize that they had no home in the party that they destroyed. And then they all came to our party and [are] trying to tell us what our party ought to be,” El-Sayed reflected in response.
El-Sayed’s affiliation with Piker has drawn lots of criticism due to the streamer’s history of spewing hateful rhetoric.
Earlier this year, Piker mused that, “if you cared about Medicare fraud or Medicaid fraud, you would kill Rick Scott.”
He has also claimed that the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel was a “direct consequence” of the Jewish state’s actions and that if they engaged in rape, it “doesn’t change the dynamic for me.”
Additionally, Piker has defended the US-designated terrorist group Hezbollah and praised the “brave mujahideen” who injured outgoing Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas).
Piker has conceded that some of those statements were wrong.
El-Sayed has refused to denounce Piker and rejected the pressure to do so as cancel culture, while caveating that he disagrees with some of the things the streamer has said.
During his final rally before primary day, which took place at the Congregation in Detroit, Piker stood in the audience, alongside Colorado congressional hopeful Melat Kiros, Michigan congressional hopeful Donavan McKinney, and other lefties.
He used his final speech to reflect on the country’s 250th anniversary and history of sins with slavery, the treatment of Native Americans, and racism.
“Despite moral failures, despite the challenges of our country, there has always been one thing about this country that was bigger than all those things: is that inside our country we have the capacity to correct,” he said.
“I love America. And I love America because I know exactly what my life should have been but for the accident of history that allowed me to be born in America,” he added. “I got vaccinated against diseases that killed an aunt and uncle I never got to meet.”
