Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna told “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker Sunday he would make another appearance with a left-wing streamer who used a shock collar on a dog.
Controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker has become an influential figure on the left, with a growing role in midterm politics and potential sway over the 2028 presidential race, according to Politico. While many Democrats have embraced his reach, others have raised concerns about his antisemitic comments and the risk his rhetoric poses to the party. When Welker raised those concerns Sunday, however, Khanna defended Piker. (RELATED: Ro Khanna Vows Democrats ‘Will Impeach’ Trump If They Win The House)
WATCH:
“I do want to ask you, here we are in the midst of the midterms, you’re someone who’s been quite outspoken. You have made several appearances on a show hosted by socialist commentator Hasan Piker. Some of your fellow Democrats, though, have raised alarms about his views. Here are two members of a left-leaning think tank,” Welker said. “This is how they put it. They wrote, ‘No left-wing agitator is more influential and extreme than Twitch streamer Hasan Piker. He’s referred to ultra-Orthodox Jews as inbred, employed anti-Semitic dog whistles (blood-thirsty, violent pig dog) against an anti-Hamas viewer of his stream, compared liberal Zionists to liberal Nazis and said Hamas is 1,000 times better than the Israeli state.’”
“Now, Hasan Piker says some of his comments have been taken out of context, but he largely stands by them. Do you have any regrets about appearing on his show?” Welker asked, with Khanna responding, “None. And I would go again.”
Vice President J.D. Vance criticized Piker for his reported use of a shock collar on his dog during an October 2025 livestream. Streamers and Reddit users unearthed multiple instances of Piker seemingly using the device or the threat of activating the device to keep his dog Kaya sitting in a more photogenic location during his live streams.
Suspicions that Piker was using the device were sparked when Kaya yelped during one of Piker’s livestreams. Shock collars can cause dogs to suffer from stress and anxiety while also leading them to engage in less desirable behavior and aggression, according to Dogster.com.
“He’s been using a shock collar on a setting so high that his dog F*CKING SCREAMS when he uses it,” Tectone, a fellow streamer, said in an Oct. 7 post on X.
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