Copyright Newsweek
Internet streaming star Hasan Piker had some strong words for Andrew Cuomo after the latter lost the New York City mayoral election to Democratic newcomer Zohran Mamdani. Piker, 34, has sometimes been described as the Joe Rogan of the left, due to his large influence on young men and vocal progressive ideologies. He has publicly backed Mamdani, telling Current Affairs in October that he was "eternally grateful" to the politician, who identifies as a Democratic socialist, for his views. Mamdani appeared on Piker's YouTube channel in April, ahead of the Democratic primary. In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Piker can be seen heading to Mamdani's watch party in New York City as the polls closed on the evening of November 4. After learning of Mamdani's victory, Piker can be seen looking directly at the camera, and sarcastically taunting Cuomo, saying, "Hey, what happened? I thought that '9/11. Hasan … Hasan loves 9/11.' What happened? What happened? I thought that was a successful campaign strategy." Piker went on to make a series of lewd remarks, using expletives to refer to and address former Governor Cuomo. Cuomo resigned as governor of New York in 2021 following allegations of sexual harassment against him. After losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani, Cuomo ran as an independent candidate and came second with 41.6 percent of the vote to Mamdani's 50.4 percent. In the run-up to the election, Cuomo repeatedly criticized Mamdani for his association with Piker, in particular referencing the YouTuber's 2019 comments that "America deserved 9/11." Mamdani condemned Piker's comments during the Mayoral election debate, saying they were "objectionable and reprehensible." In October, Cuomo appeared on an episode of the WABC radio show, Sid & Friends in the Morning. Arguing Mamdani's lack of experience to become mayor, Cuomo said, "God forbid another 9/11; can you imagine Mamdani in the seat?" Host Sid Rosenberg replied, "I could. He’d be cheering." Cuomo then said, "That’s another problem. But can you imagine that? If Mamdani was in the seat on 9/11, what would have happened in this city?" NBC News reported that a spokesperson for Cuomo told the outlet that he did not agree with the remark about Mamdani cheering, but that his response was in reference to Piker's previous comments. Days before the election, NBC news reported that a pro-Cuomo super PAC released an ad that featured Piker's 9/11 comments. It also showed footage of the Twin Towers blowing up in flames, with Mamdani superimposed. A voice-over said, "Zohran went on Piker's show, and now Piker was just spotted at Zohran's event. Mamdani is wrong for New York." Piker's election night YouTube video also showed him reacting to Mamdani's win, saying it is "awesome" and "amazing." "I no longer have to prove that this kind of politics works; I can just point to f****** Zohran. That's how I feel. Whenever Democrats come to me and they say, 'Oh, let's do an autopsy of why this election went south, why that election turned south, why do the Democrats keep losing?' I can just go, 'That's why,'" Piker said. It showed him speaking with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whom he greeted with a hug as the pair shared their relief at Mamdani's victory. Mamdani was declared the winner less than an hour after polls closed on November 4. A progressive candidate, he focused his campaign on the cost of living in New York City.
