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"How is it that a 34 year-old Turkish-American socialist Twitch streamer is now a kingmaker in the Democratic Party of the United States?"

Hasan Piker says he can take the heat. The famous political commentator has spent the past several months as the primary target of the Democratic party establishment for what they claim are his repugnant views. According to Hasan, the real reason is the success of the broader left movement that he has been a vocal advocate for.

Now, he sits down with Mehdi in Washington, D.C. to talk about becoming a "lightning rod" and the recent Democratic primaries shaking up the political landscape, like the upcoming Michigan Senate primary between the AIPAC-backed Haley Stevens and the progressive Abdul El-Sayed. The polls are close, the money is overwhelming (Stevens has a 12-1 spending advantage over El-Sayed), yet Hasan explains why he thinks "this race will shock the world."

They also get into the whole Tucker Carlson debate. Is Tucker setting up JD Vance for 2028, or is he planning his own presidential run? Hasan and Mehdi unpack whether the right-wing Christian nationalist can be a trusted ally on Gaza and Israel.

The Hasans also discuss:

• Socialism's rising popularity in the U.S.

• Hasan being targeted by both Democrats and Republicans.

• Accusations of antisemitism.

• Mehdi's appearance on the PBD podcast.

• Marco Rubio vs. JD Vance.

• The hypocrisy of Joe Rogan and Bill Maher.

• And which Democrat Hasan wants to run in 2028…

This interview was published 7 days earlier on Zeteo.com. If you want early access to exclusive content and hard-hitting, independent journalism, subscribe on Substack here: https://zeteo.com/subscribe

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Credits:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Hasan Piker

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer and Editor: Frank Cappello

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

Special thanks to: Aaliyah Haque

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