Hasan Piker, a prominent online streamer known for his socialist viewpoints, recently offered significant praise for Cea Weaver, an aide to New York City Council Member Zohran Mamdani. Weaver had previously made headlines for expressing a desire to "impoverish the White middle class" and asserting the government's "sacred right to seize property."
Piker's Enthusiastic Endorsement
Piker's comments were delivered during a segment where he critiqued liberal comedian Bill Maher's reactions to various socialist platforms on his program, "Real Time." Maher had expressed incredulity regarding statements made by Weaver.
Last week, Maher recounted Weaver's remarks, stating, "Mamdani’s top aide, Cea Weaver said, ‘If you don't believe in the government's sacred right to seize property, it's over’, and ‘impoverish the White middle class’." Maher then interjected with a sarcastic observation: "You know you’re supposed to scare people into voting ‘for’ you, right?"
Piker interrupted the clip, declaring his strong admiration for Weaver. "I love her so much," he stated, adding, "Beast mode." He further commented, "One of the things I love about Zohran is that the people surrounding him are oftentimes … so much cooler than he is, but that's also part of the reason why I really respect what he's doing; she's awesome." The term "beast mode," denoting intense focus and power, gained popularity in the 2010s through former NFL player Marshawn Lynch, in a context unrelated to politics.
Background and Public Reactions to Weaver's Statements
Cea Weaver, who is identified as White, reportedly grew up in an affluent area of Rochester and attended the School of the Arts in the upstate city. The comments made by Weaver drew criticism from public figures, including Eric Adams, who served as Mamdani's predecessor. Adams characterized Weaver's remarks as demonstrating "extreme privilege and total detachment from reality."
Piker's Controversial Past and Political Alliances
Piker himself has faced controversy, notably for comments made in 2019 where he suggested that America "deserved 9/11." More recently, Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, in a Sunday interview, described Piker’s 9/11 remarks as "dumb" but affirmed his continued alliance with the far-left streamer.
Piker has a history of collaborating with other progressive figures and programs. He has appeared alongside his uncle Cenk Uygur on the "Young Turks" program and has also engaged with figures such as Representative Summer Lee (D-Pa.) and Wisconsin State Assemblywoman Francesca Hong (D-Maple Bluff), who recently narrowly lost the Democratic nomination for governor.
Debate with Maher on Communism and Historical Regimes
The online personality continued his critique of Maher, including the comedian's comments to Vice President JD Vance suggesting that Vance's vote might be available in 2028 if Democrats aligned with socialist ideologies. At one point, Maher directly criticized Piker, calling him the far left’s "most popular influencer" who "thinks communism is so groovy, he laments the fall of two of the most murderous regimes in history."
Piker responded by asserting that Maher’s subsequent mention of the USSR constituted a "bastardization of my quote." He also disputed Maher's claim that the China of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping had ever truly "fallen." Mao Zedong passed away in 1976, and Deng Xiaoping subsequently rose to become China's de facto leader, overseeing significant reforms through 1990 before his death in 1997.
Elaborating on his views, Piker stated, "The fall of the USSR was one of the great catastrophes of the 20th century. Mao Zedong is one of the great leaders of this world. Both are true. Both are objectively true statements." He then labeled Maher "smug" and suggested he "read a book." Piker further defended his perspective on the USSR by noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin—whom Piker described as "certainly no Communist"—shared a similar sentiment. Putin, a former Soviet KGB agent, famously remarked in 2005 that the collapse of the USSR in 1991 represented the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe" in history.
