Michigan Democratic candidate defends Hasan Piker ties, distances from remarks

On 2026-04-07, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed publicly defended appearing with podcaster Hasan Piker at an upcoming rally while distancing himself from Piker's past remarks on 9/11 and the Oct. 7 attacks. He made the comments during a Fox & Friends appearance, saying he opposes rape and does not think 9/11 was justified. The statement was directed at justifying his association with Piker rather than announcing a policy change.