White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller discussed the Democratic Party’s leftward shift during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show Wednesday night, describing the rise of Democratic Socialists of America-aligned candidates as a domestic continuation of the Cold War. “We spent decades fighting a Cold War with the Soviet Union,” Miller said. “Now, I choose my words carefully, but I’m gonna say this tonight — that Cold War has come home. It’s here in America. This is the biggest, greatest, most existential struggle this country will ever face.”
The Numbers Cited in the Segment
Hannity opened the segment by citing figures on the scale of DSA’s electoral growth, saying there are roughly 250 DSA-affiliated elected officials nationwide across 40 states, with more than 40 additional candidates running in this year’s midterm primaries. Tracking of DSA officeholders shows the organization’s elected footprint has grown substantially since 2019, spanning local, state, and a small number of federal offices. DSA describes itself as a democratic socialist organization operating within the existing U.S. electoral and constitutional system.
Miller’s Central Example
Miller’s argument centered on Michigan, where progressive former public health official Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate two days earlier. “Look at Michigan, right? El-Sayed. They’re nominating communist candidates for office,” Miller said. El-Sayed has said he is not a formal DSA member but shares some of the organization’s ideals; he ran on a platform built around Medicare for All, ending U.S. military aid to Israel, and stronger regulation of artificial intelligence companies, according to reporting on his campaign.
How El-Sayed Won the Primary
El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens by roughly one percentage point after being outspent by more than an 8-to-1 margin, with over $30 million in outside spending from a political action committee affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee going to Stevens’s campaign. Stevens, who had been endorsed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, conceded the race and issued a statement congratulating El-Sayed, saying she was “proud to offer my support as he takes on Mike Rogers in the general election.”
The Piker Association
Miller’s sharpest language targeted Hasan Piker, the left-wing Twitch streamer who campaigned alongside El-Sayed at multiple events, including a rally the day before the primary. Miller called Piker “execrable, heinous, deplorable, monstrous” and said he “has celebrated assassination culture” and “said that America deserved 9/11.” Piker did say “America deserved 9/11” during a 2019 livestream, and separately has called Mao Zedong “one of the great leaders of this world” and said he would “vote for Hamas over Israel every single time,” according to reporting compiled by the Washington Times. Piker apologized for the 9/11 comment at the time, calling it “inappropriate,” and has since said his critics disregard “the actual truth of what I was talking about,” describing the remark as a critique of U.S. foreign policy.
El-Sayed’s Response to the Association
El-Sayed has not fully disavowed Piker, while distancing himself from specific remarks. “I’m never going to agree that 9/11 was justified. It was wrong. It was a horrible day for all of us,” El-Sayed told Fox News in April, saying critics were using “out-of-context quotes taken out of context specifically to ask me these questions.” In a separate interview, he said appearing alongside Piker “doesn’t mean I automatically believe” everything the streamer has said, describing their alignment as centered on shared “economic and anti-war views.”
Reaction From Other Democrats
Miller and Hannity were not the only ones to raise the Piker association. Michigan Rep. Hillary Scholten, who had endorsed Stevens, told CNN’s Jake Tapper she would not commit to backing El-Sayed, citing his decision “to campaign with Hasan Piker, who said America deserved Sept. 11,” while noting “he went on to disavow those comments.” Sen. John Fetterman told Hannity: “I just want to issue a dare — continue to campaign with Hasan Piker right now. You’re in a general election now. I dare you.” Piker, for his part, called Stevens’s supporters “unbelievably Islamophobic pieces of shit” during a livestream from El-Sayed’s election-night party.
A Related Claim From Sen. Tom Cotton
Separately, Sen. Tom Cotton posted, and later edited, a claim that El-Sayed “proudly said America deserved 9/11.” Semafor’s David Weigel noted the quote was Piker’s, not El-Sayed’s, according to Mediaite’s report on the exchange.
How the Term “Communist” Has Been Received
Miller described DSA-aligned candidates as “true communist candidates” pursuing an “embrace of communism.” DSA itself identifies as a democratic socialist organization rather than a communist one, and El-Sayed has not identified himself as a communist. Coverage of Wednesday’s segment described Miller’s language as reminiscent of Cold War-era rhetoric.
Miller’s Comments on Democratic-Led Cities
Beyond the Senate race, Miller extended his remarks to Democratic-run cities generally, citing Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City as examples of what he said happens “when leftists get control and they ultimately turn socialist and then communist.” He said there is “a point of no return” once that happens, describing local governments that “hoard power, they suppress dissent, they gain control over institutions… they gut the police departments, they drive out good people.” Miller did not cite specific policies or budget decisions from the three cities during the segment.
Miller’s Comments on Democratic Leadership
Miller also questioned the response of national Democratic leaders to El-Sayed’s campaign and its association with Piker. “Where is Schumer? Where is Jeffries? Where are any of the leaders of the Democratic Party? They are supporting it. They are embracing it. They are allowing it,” Miller said. For context, Schumer had endorsed Stevens, El-Sayed’s primary opponent, during the primary, and extended support to El-Sayed after the race concluded.
Hannity’s Closing Comments
Hannity closed the segment by urging viewers to prioritize turnout in the midterms, noting turnout is typically lower in non-presidential election years. “This is a clear and present danger, and the only way to stop them now is to defeat them in November,” Hannity said. “If you don’t go show up for a midterm election… you will get the government you hate and deserve.”
What Comes Next
El-Sayed now faces former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in the November general election, a race both parties view as significant to the fight for Senate control. Whether the Piker association becomes a focus of that general election remains to be seen.