Hasan Piker Questions Why Zohran Mamdani Keeps Standing Behind Hakeem Jeffries

Hasan Piker, the leftist streamer and one of Zohran Mamdani's most prominent online backers, asked on Thursday why the New York City mayor keeps standing behind House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. In the same breath, he said he had been wrong to push Mamdani to support a socialist primary challenge to Jeffries.

Piker made the remarks on his HasanAbi stream while discussing the protests that followed Mamdani's October 7 statement and his appearance at a vigil in Union Square on Wednesday, where pro-Palestinian demonstrators heckled him. Piker said many of the protesters' demands were valid. His sharpest question, though, was about Jeffries.

"It's like, Zohran, what are you doing constantly pushing for Hakeem Jeffries, right?" Piker said. "Constantly pushing for Hakeem Jeffries like that's like what's the purpose? Give us an example. Give us an explainer of why you're doing this, right?"

Hasan Piker Says Mamdani Is 'Not My Enemy'

The criticism came with a caveat. Piker immediately added, "I don't think he's a traitor. I don't think he's a Zionist," and called those charges "ridiculous accusations to fling in the direction of Zohran Mamdani."

"So no, of course, Zohran Mamdani is not my enemy and he should not be your enemy either," he said. Earlier in the stream, he said that if Mamdani is judged as "a popular, somewhat progressive Democrat, he's the best there is. No one comes close" — but that the left measures him as a democratic socialist and movement leader.

When a viewer's comment pointed out that Piker himself had wanted Mamdani to support a challenge to Jeffries, he conceded the point and then moved past it. Piker said he recognized he "was wrong in demanding that" Mamdani back Ossé. "I'm talking about the fact that he has since then on numerous occasions defended Hakeem Jeffries like defended his endorsement of Hakeem Jeffries."

"Hakeem Jeffries is, you know, he's basically Chuck Schumer," Piker added, comparing him with the Senate Democratic leader. "Yeah, he defended Hakeem Jeffries after Hakeem Jeffries hung out with Jared Kushner and defended that."

The Chi Ossé Fight and the Kushner Meeting

Both episodes Piker cited are on the record. Chi Ossé, a Brooklyn City Council member, filed to challenge Jeffries in the 2026 primary. Mamdani, then the mayor-elect, urged New York City's Democratic Socialists of America chapter not to endorse the bid. After the chapter declined, Ossé ended his exploratory campaign on December 5, 2025, saying he would not run "without the support of DSA."

Jeffries met privately in New York City with Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, to discuss housing, immigration and the cost of living, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported in late August, describing the meeting as recent. It drew criticism from Democrats including strategist James Carville and Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan.

Mamdani stood by him anyway, saying he would still support Jeffries to lead the party. Democrats lead by 7.8 points in PolitiKool's polling average of the generic congressional ballot.

Pro-Israel Groups and 'Institutional Power'

Piker said Mamdani responds to pro-Israel groups because they hold "institutional power" that pro-Palestinian activists lack. He also faulted the mayor for not yet disbanding the NYPD's Strategic Response Group, as he promised during the campaign. Other voices on the left have made similar complaints about Mamdani's record on Gaza.

What Comes Next for Mamdani and the Left

Piker closed with a hypothetical. He said the outlets now writing favorable stories about Mamdani "will not be so favorable when the moment comes, and he has to, let's say, endorse Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez." He did not say what race such an endorsement might involve, offering it instead as an example of a moment when favorable coverage and loyalty to the left could pull in different directions.

"Zohran must lean in to the masses," Piker said. "He must lean in to the movement that brought him to this position of power."

Piker said that moment will show whether Mamdani's project is about building a movement or building a man. He gave his own guess right away: "I don't think it's a movement to build the man, for the record."