Abdul El-Sayed dismisses questions about Hasan Piker ties on 'Face the Nation,' pivots to groceries, tell me about this news in (https://www.foxnews.com/media/abdul-el-sayed-dismisses-questions-hasan-piker-ties-face-nation-pivots-groceries)
15-09-2026
During an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed repeatedly deflected questions regarding his association with progressive political Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, shifting the focus to kitchen-table economic issues such as grocery and gas prices. TownhallBackground of the QuestionGuest host Weijia Jiang pressed El-Sayed about his ties to Piker, pointing out that Republican opponentsincluding his Senate rival Mike Rogershave criticized the relationship and even labeled Piker his “running mate” following controversial and incendiary statements made by the streamer. Jiang also noted concerns raised by Jewish voters regarding Piker’s rhetoric. CBS News+ 1El-Sayed’s Response and PivotEl-Sayed pushed back against the line of questioning, expressing frustration that the media was focusing on an online personality rather than the everyday struggles of Michigan residents: Townhall
- Dismissal of the Topic: He noted that it was the third time he had been asked about “a Twitch streamer in California” and emphasized that across his campaign events in Michigan, ordinary voters never bring up online streamers. Townhall
- Shift to Economic Issues: El-Sayed argued that streamers are not responsible for inflating gas and grocery bills, urging a focus on rising food costs, access to healthcare, medical debt, tariffs, and trade policies. Townhall
- Critique of “Culture Wars”: He accused opponents of using culture-war talking points to distract working families from corporate profits and broader economic hardships.