“Caught a wild stray”: Hasan Piker reacts to Andrew Cuomo demanding Zohran Mamdani denounce him during NYC mayoral debate
Things got weird at the NYC mayoral debate last night when Andrew Cuomo demanded Zohran Mamdani condemn Twitch streamer Hasan Piker.
In a functional society, pre-election debates are used for the candidates to make their platforms clear and expose weaknesses and nuances in the platforms of their opponents. They're meant to serve as a way for viewers to get to know the candidates better and figure out who knows what they're doing and who best aligns with their views when it comes down to the details.
But as we've seen during recent presidential debates, in our sound bite-driven, reactionary world, sometimes candidates are more concerned with saying ridiculous things that they think will get attention.
Andrew Cuomo calls for a denunciation of Hasan Piker
In the case of the Oct. 16, 2025, NYC mayoral debate between independent candidate Cuomo, Mamdani, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, one of the things Cuomo decided to hone in on was Mamdani's association with Piker, a controversial leftist Twitch streamer.
"The Assemblyman will not denounce Hamas. The Assemblyman will not denounce Hasan Piker, who said, 'America deserved 9/11,'" Cuomo said, referring to 2019 comments Piker made. Some have argued over the years that his remarks require more nuance than being boiled down to an inflammatory sound bite. Piker himself called his comment "inappropriate" shortly after he made it.
During the debate, Mamdani agreed, saying, "I find the comments that Hasan made on 9/11 to be objectionable and reprehensible."
"And I also think that part of the reason why Democrats are in the situation that we are in of being a permanent minority in this country, is we are looking only to speak to journalists and streamers and Americans with whom we agree of every single thing that they say," he added. "We need to take the case to every person, and I'm happy to do that."
@hasandpiker Cuomo mentioned me during the NYC debate to attack Zohran Mamdani #hasanabi #zohranmamdani #cuomo ♬ original sound - hasanabi
The internet weighs in
To a lot of people, Cuomo's focus on trying to get Mamdani to "denounce" Piker felt like just another distraction with racist undertones. Many of the attacks on Mamdani since his candidacy began getting real attention have revolved around the idea that any Muslim is unfit to serve as mayor of NYC because of 9/11.
For Cuomo to try to lean into that fearmongering to score points is nasty, even if it's also unsurprising. But the fact that he used a Twitch streamer most people watching the debate have probably never even heard of just feels nonsensical, which led to a fair amount of mockery online.
@anitadigggenme tweeted, "America is not real cause why are you talking about an influencer on a literal mayoral debate"
"The people who aren’t chronically online looking at each other like, 'who the f**k is hasan piker?'" wrote @kaaalllnnn.
"You know Cuomo's in trouble when he's counting on hitting the "fuck Hasan" button to save him lol," added @Kramburglar.
The whole thing even crossed into meme territory at one point.
"ZOHRAN MAMDANI: Make the buses fast and free
ANDREW CUOMO: Hasan Piker did 9/11
CURTIS SLIWA: I could bench press both these guys at the same time without getting sweat on my beret"
"Cuomo: Do you condemn Hasan Piker??
Mamdani: Free buses increase safety and efficiency
Sliwa: It was a cold night in 1998, Frank Sinatra had just faked his own death and the Yankees were headed to the world series..." joked @gldvittorio.
Meanwhile, Laura Loomer used the opportunity Cuomo handed them to spread false information to the Republican base—namely, painting Mamdani as a liar because he "pretended like he has no association with Piker," which did not happen.
Maybe—just maybe—both sides should focus a little less on the likes of streamers and podcasts and more on policy that will better the lives of struggling Americans. Just a thought!
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