Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed didn’t say he believes America deserved 9/11. Here’s who did

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            <p class="fact_check_info_description">There is no proof that El-Sayed ever made such a statement. The remark was actually uttered in 2019 by Hasan Piker, a left-wing Twitch streamer who later campaigned for El-Sayed in 2026.</p>
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<p>In August 2026, social media rumors began circulating alleging that Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, had expressed a belief that America brought the 9/11 attacks upon itself.</p>

<p>Mike Rogers, El-Sayed's Republican opponent, amplified this accusation on his official X account. On August 6, 2026, Rogers <a href="https://x.com/MikeRogersForMI/status/2085471085546402268">shared a video clip</a> featuring himself declaring, "I never in my lifetime thought I'd be running against a guy that thinks America deserved 9/11" (<a href="https://perma.cc/LN9L-Q9BB">archived</a>):</p>

<p>This was a repeated talking point for Rogers. Just a day prior, he published an identical sentiment across his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DbqT-hZuVSs/">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://x.com/MikeRogersForMI/status/2085002121187868790">X pages</a>, writing, "Never in a million years did I think that I would be running against someone who believes America deserved 9/11" (<a href="https://perma.cc/D6MD-BN3J">archived</a>):</p>

<p>The allegation also <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theconread/posts/pfbid02AGFfBDDtC7euHJEc69SakuvPYfRQaj4ovaP5iwKvVzuNvXBAtdF65Ys6ry5NPC6Dl">surfaced</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122212081742956358&amp;set=gm.1513106700276413&amp;idorvanity=212490787004684">across</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/2117265855563982">Facebook</a>, prompting multiple readers to contact us to verify its authenticity.</p>

<p>An investigation revealed zero evidence indicating that El-Sayed made any such remark. Consequently, the claim has been rated false.</p>

<p>We reached out to El-Sayed's campaign for a statement regarding these allegations and will provide updates if a response is issued.</p>

<p>Instead, it appears that Rogers and various right-wing social media profiles mistakenly attributed a 2019 quote by progressive Twitch broadcaster Hasan Piker to El-Sayed. Piker <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKQGvVsRpaE">subsequently walked back</a> his original "America deserved 9/11" remark shortly after making it.</p>

<p>To check the validity of the rumor, we conducted searches using terms like "Abdul El-Sayed said America deserved 9/11" via <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=abdul+el-sayed+said+america+deserved+9%2F11&amp;sca_esv=89317be53c67f56a&amp;sxsrf=APpeQntAgxbvdetD4hQJNRvs0S2oFuK0bA%3A1786040369545&amp;source=hp&amp;ei=MdB0aoboGtWZptQPtZ38kAw&amp;iflsig=ABILxe8AAAAAanTeQephBpkE0oq5M6E9Ht3KKknhaXb_&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjGxJnuzoyWAxXVjIkEHbUOH8IQ4dUDCDE&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=abdul+el-sayed+said+america+deserved+9%2F11&amp;gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6IilhYmR1bCBlbC1zYXllZCBzYWlkIGFtZXJpY2EgZGVzZXJ2ZWQgOS8xMUj3AlAAWABwAHgAkAEAmAFvoAFvqgEDMC4xuAEDyAEA-AEC-AEBmAIAoAIAmAMAkgcAoAc7sgcAuAcAwgcAyAcAgAgB&amp;sclient=gws-wiz">Google</a>, <a href="https://perma.cc/QE6L-YFFH">Bing</a>, and <a href="https://perma.cc/828D-5Q8T?type=image">DuckDuckGo</a>. Had a political candidate made such a controversial statement, mainstream news organizations like The Associated Press, Reuters, or Bloomberg would have undoubtedly covered it. They did not.</p>

<p>However, Piker—<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbqXT8-JyNU/">who later campaigned on behalf of El-Sayed in 2026</a>—did utter the phrase during an August 2019 personal Twitch broadcast:</p>

<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSYVXXCFkAg"></iframe></p>

<p>"America deserved 9/11, dude," Piker stated during the stream. "F*** it. I'm saying it."</p>

<p>Piker later addressed the controversy on "The Conversation," a political talk show he co-hosted with Cenk Uygur of the left-leaning outlet The Young Turks. During the segment, Piker acknowledged his choice of words and attempted to contextualize them:</p>

<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKQGvVsRpaE"></iframe></p>

<p>A transcript from the discussion at the 0:39 mark shows the following exchange:</p>

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    <p>UYGUR: So you said America deserved 9/11. Did you mean that?</p>
    <p>PIKER: No. Obviously not. Especially considering the fact that … well … that is a very viral quote that is going around currently. If those people were at least even remotely charitable or cared about the actual truth of what I was talking about they would understand that within context, I was simply referencing the fact that all of the foreign policy decisions, and our arming of insurgent groups in the region, and our efforts in destabilizing the Middle East have a direct consequence — a boomerang effect rather, if you will — in in causing 9/11. Of course, every part of what I advocate for is against violence. I abhor violence. I think it's awful.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>For additional background, it was previously verified in May 2026 that the U.S. House of Representatives weighed a <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/house-resolution-piker-antisemitism/">resolution intended to condemn Piker</a> over separate allegations of antisemitism.</p>