The ABC is set to air the return of its Planet America program on Monday night as the US midterm elections gain steam, with a new episode featuring the leftwing commentator Hasan Piker. Host John Barron said the episode will focus on the “rise of Democratic socialists and the populist left”, with Piker speaking about “what it’s like in the eye of a political storm”. But the appearance quickly sparked the ire of conservatives in Australia.
News Corp’s News24 host James Morrow was deeply critical of the interview on Friday, wondering if there was “something in the water at the ABC’s Ultimo HQ that makes them think they are immune to consequences”. Barron has urged critics to watch the appearance before casting judgment, saying he’s not surprised that “some of the usual suspects are outraged, OUTRAGED, that we would even speak to Piker”. Piker, 35, is an extremely popular figure in left-leaning politics in the US, with more than 3 million followers on Twitch and millions more on YouTube and Instagram.
He streams on the internet nearly every day, sometimes for eight hours at a time, and has been heralded as a modern-day kingmaker for progressive Democrats. He has built a legion of fans – many whom are young men – with regular discourse about American foreign policy, capitalism, his support for LGBTQ+ rights and for a willingness to heap criticism on the Democratic establishment. He’s described himself as a “megaphone”, amplifying frustrations with “establishment liberalism”, not as a change maker himself.
His readiness to champion progressive challengers over established figures has angered some top Democrats. He’s also become a frequent target of the Murdoch empire in the US, with Fox News publishing running criticism of his commentary. Piker’s opinions are unfiltered and, at times, extreme.
In 2019, as part of a broader critique of American foreign policy, he said the US “deserved” the September 11 terrorist attacks (he later apologised for the remark). He’s also a frequent and vocal critic of Israel’s leadership and claimed he would “vote for Hamas over Israel every single time”. He maintains he’s not antisemitic, but strongly against Zionism and the country’s policy on the war in Gaza and Palestinians.
I love when my enemies hate me,” he told the Guardian in December. The British government banned him from entering the country for a speaking engagement in June, saying at the time his presence “may not be conducive to the public good”. Piker was last on the ABC in September to speak about the assassination of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
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