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The Reel says
Reel distorts election stats and smears progressive figures as communists?
The Reel uses cherry-picked quotes, exaggerated claims, and distorted primary election figures to frame progressive candidates as anti-American communists. Streamer Hasan Piker did say 'America deserved 9/11' on a 2019 livestream, and Francesca Hong posted 'Cancel Thanksgiving' in 2020 before later clarifying her remarks, as reported by Snopes and The New York Times. However, the claim that Abdul El-Sayed lost all poor counties and won all rich counties is contradicted by official election results showing strong support in urban areas like Detroit and college towns. Equating democratic socialist candidates with Lenin's Soviet regime relies on guilt by association and misrepresentation of facts.
- 5 claims checked
- 6 sources
- Checked 7 Nov 2026
- Main source: Dem socialist Hong's appearance on left-wing livestreams draws cash, condemnations - WPR
▶The Reel we checked
@itsallpolitics__
Understanding the key players of the new Left + their main commonalities | Pt 1: Hasan Piker, Abdul El Sayad, Francesca Hong (lost but still relevant)
Watch on Instagram ↗Red flags
Hasan Piker stated 'America deserved 9/11' during a 2019 Twitch stream, drawing severe widespread backlash.
“It is true that Piker said these words in August 2019 while live-streaming on Twitch: 'America deserved 9/11, dude,' he said. 'F*** it. I'm saying it.'” Does video show Netanyahu saying 'America deserved 9/11' in UN speech? We examined footage | Snopes, 2026-09-25
The trick: Guilty by link
It tars someone with the views or acts of people linked to them (known as guilt by association).
“they are taking over the Democrat Party, and they're all the same. They despise it here, and they despise capitalism.”
How this trick works and how to answer it →
What we checked
What the Reel doesn't tell you
- The Reel omits Francesca Hong's clarification regarding her Thanksgiving post, Hasan Piker's explanation of his foreign policy comments, and official election figures showing Abdul El-Sayed's widespread primary victories in major urban and college-town counties.
- Francesca Hong stated that Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday and that her past social media post was intended to highlight historical pain for Indigenous communities rather than cancel the holiday (New York Times, WPR).
- Hasan Piker explained his 9/11 remark was intended as a critique of U.S. foreign policy blowback rather than an endorsement of the attack (Fox News, Reuters).
How it plays you
It wants you to think: “Prominent figures in the modern American left, including Hasan Piker, Francesca Hong, and Abdul El-Sayed, hold extreme anti-American views that mirror communist ideology.”
Labeling progressive political candidates anti-American communists based on a commentator's livestream remark, a deleted holiday post, and a Substack post about sports culture relies on guilt by association and extreme overgeneralisation.
Short version
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