New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told Fox News he disagrees with far-left streamer Hasan Piker’s remarks on Hamas, the 9/11 attacks and Iran’s nuclear ambitions, while defending his decision to keep talking with him anyway.
Asked directly about Piker’s past comments during an interview with Shannon Bream for “Fox News Sunday,” Mamdani did not defend the substance of what Piker has said.
“I would say those are all things that I disagree with, and I’ve made very clear about my own opinions,” Mamdani said.
He went on to argue that engaging with people he disagrees with is part of how he operates politically.
“I think that it’s important to both be able to be confident in your opinions and be able to have a conversation with those that you disagree with and those that you agree with, because if you just surround yourself with people who echo everything that you say and think, you’re going to just end up at home looking at a mirror,” he added.
Piker has drawn criticism for suggesting Hamas is preferable to Israel, that the United States deserved the September 11 terrorist attacks, and that the Middle East would be more stable if Iran had a nuclear weapon. Republicans have pointed to his rhetoric throughout this year’s midterm cycle as evidence that progressive and Democratic socialist figures hold extreme views.
During an election-night livestream, Piker went further, fantasizing about jail time for President Donald Trump and Elon Musk and declaring that “woke is back.”
Mamdani has appeared alongside Piker despite the backlash, which has prompted questions about how closely the two align politically — questions Mamdani addressed directly in the interview by separating himself from Piker’s specific statements while defending the relationship itself.
The full interview, set to air on the upcoming broadcast of “Fox News Sunday,” also covers Mamdani’s membership in the Democratic Socialists of America and whether he backs some of the group’s more controversial stances, along with questions about how his campaign promises — including a $30 minimum wage and free city buses — square with the realities of governing New York City.
