Jesse Ventura defends streamer Hasan Piker ahead of controversial Minneapolis event

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Twitch streamer Hasan Piker is set to hold an event in Minneapolis on Monday with Rep. Ilhan Omar and State Rep. Omar Fateh, as other Democrats distance themselves from the controversial streamer over his past remarks.

While some are avoiding the controversial streamer, Piker found support on Sunday from former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, who sat down for an on-stream interview.

Hasan Piker event in Minneapolis

What we know:

Piker is scheduled to appear at a sold-out event Monday evening in Minneapolis. The event marks the launch of "I'm the Host Now" – which is described as "a series of curated conversations."

Fateh appears to be hosting the event, with Piker and Omar joining him as guests. The event was announced last week and sold out within minutes.

Piker's past comments draw scrutiny for Dems

Big picture view:

Piker is one of the most popular streamers on Twitch and the platform's most-watched political streamer. However, his appearance has become a point of controversy for Democrats and a line of attack for Republicans as Election Day approaches, largely due to his past statements.

In 2019, Piker said he believed "America deserved 9/11." He recently addressed the statement in an interview with the BBC after the quote appeared in a political ad targeting Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, whom Piker has campaigned with.

Piker argued that he was discussing the concept of "blowback," or the unintended consequences of U.S. foreign policy.

"I very quickly apologized for using the language ‘deserved,’" Piker said. "And, it's interesting, because since then, this is all the way back in 2019, it wasn't that consequential overall, until it was actually Andrew Cuomo who tried to bring it back as a salient attack point against Zohran Mamdani. It didn't work demonstrably. Zohran Mamdani's now the mayor of New York. But that hasn't stopped other campaigns from also trying to turn this into some major controversy."

Dig deeper:

Piker has also faced criticism over other remarks that critics have characterized as antisemitic.

Earlier this year, Piker said, "I'm a lesser evil voter and, therefore, I would vote for Hamas over Israel every single time."

He also faced backlash for interviewing a man who was reportedly a Houthi pirate during a livestream.

Last week, a group of Jewish DFL members issued a statement condemning Piker's remarks and calling for the Minneapolis event to be canceled.

Democrats try to distance themselves

The other side:

Several Democrats, including those in competitive races, have sought to distance themselves from Piker and the Minneapolis event.

Last week, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan told FOX 9 she had no involvement in the event and would not attend. Flanagan is instead scheduled to appear at a separate get-out-the-vote event Monday evening with Attorney General Keith Ellison, taking place at the same time as Piker's appearance.

DFL Party leaders have also distanced themselves from the event.

"This is not a DFL-sanctioned event. Our DFL candidates are focused on talking directly with voters about the affordability crisis created by Donald Trump and his Republican rubber stamps," DFL Party Chair Richard Carlbom said. "DFL values include respect and inclusion, and I condemn this individual’s comments that divide us. I encourage DFLers to sign up for one more get-out-the-vote shift."

Other prominent Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, have publicly criticized Piker, with Klobuchar calling his past statements "reckless and unacceptable."

Jesse Ventura appears on Piker's stream

Local perspective:

While in Minnesota, ahead of the Monday event, Hasan Piker welcomed former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura onto his stream on Sunday.

Ventura defended Piker from the attacks he's faced over his appearance in Minnesota. Ventura also went on to defend Piker's right to speak, arguing that's why the First Amendment exists.

"We are the United States of America. The United States of America has free speech," Ventura said. "The First Amendment is there not to protect popular speech. Popular speech doesn't need protecting. It's there to protect unpopular speech."

PoliticsMinneapolisJesse Ventura