Trump says 'communist' Hasan Piker is a 'terrible liability' for Democratic Party

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump spoke harshly of streamer Hasan Piker on Friday, September 18, calling him a political problem for the Democratic Party and a “communist.”

Trump argued that a small group of “radicals” like Piker could have an impact on the party ahead of the midterms and used the remark as an opportunity to criticize the Democratic Party’s overall ideology. 

Trump says Hasan Piker has 'got a power' over some Democrats

"I do. I think he's a terrible liability," Trump said when asked directly whether he views Piker as a liability for Democrats. "I think he's got a power over some of these Democrats and he'll be voting that way. I mean he's a communist. There's no question about it."

Trump warned that Piker isn't an isolated case, saying, "The Democrats have a lot of communists, and the communists can hold up the party because it only takes a few votes when you have a close election," adding, "A group of three, four, five, 10 people can steer a party in a certain direction. That's, you know, both parties."

He went further, singling out some of Piker's past statements as particularly alarming and wondering why certain demographic groups continue to support Democrats considering the rhetoric coming from people such as Piker. The streamer has faced widespread criticism for his controversial comments on Israel, American Jews, and the September 11 attacks, among other issues. 

"He's a guy who's very, I mean, his statements are so bad," Trump said. "How a Jewish person could vote for a Democrat is not even, if you think of it, not even believable. And yet they will. It's amazing."

"It is not possible in a world of rationality that somebody who's Jewish, that somebody who's Black, could vote to be a Democrat, could vote for a Democrat. The things that have been said about different groups of people by them are incredible," he added. 

Trump says mainstream Democrats are 'petrified' of the radical left

Trump also floated a theory as to why establishment Democrats have moved much further to the left in recent years, claiming it was due to political fear rather than any ideological conviction.

"The mainstream Democrats, I know many of them, and I'm friendly with many of them, but they've gone way left because they've had no choice," Trump said.

"Not because they don't believe it. They know communism has never worked. They know socialism has never worked. But these people are petrified of the radical left, and he's one of them," the president remarked. 

Piker has been criticized in recent months by some of the biggest names in the Democratic Party. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) denounced his comments on American Jews, calling them "dangerous, malicious, and antisemitic." Sen Jon Ossoff (D-GA) has also condemned Piker’s "reckless and dangerous rhetoric" about American Jews.