VANCOUVER, Canada, July 21 (Our Washington Times) — Hasan Piker’s appearance at the College Democrats of America summer convention in Washington, D.C., turned into a bigger online dispute after video from the event showed him urging the audience to reject both Donald Trump and moderate Democrats while wearing clothing that many viewers described as Mao-style.
The clip, taken at the convention on July 18, 2026, shows Piker telling the crowd: “No more to Trumpism, but no more to the Democrats who compromise, who conciliate, and who betray us.” He also said, “No more to the fascist reactionaries, but no more to the Democrats who will collaborate and cooperate with the fascists, who will fund ICE, who will fund Israel, who will help poison the planet, who will stiff workers and help bosses.”
He closed by saying, “We don’t need those Democrats anymore,” and, “We are coming. We are unbossed. We’re unbought. We’re unbound, and we will become undeniable.”
Why did the clothing matter?
Piker’s outfit drew attention because it resembled the jacket-and-trousers look associated with Mao Zedong, the Chinese communist leader. That visual choice became part of the backlash, with critics saying the appearance matched the message.
Shannon R. Watts wrote on X that Piker was “Dressed like Mao and talking about how much he hates the majority of Democrats as an invited guest of @CollegeDems. Our party having a normal one.” Spencer Pratt posted, “Hasan Piker dressed as Mao, brainwashing your kids at college,” and added, “They’re communists. This was always communism.” Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib wrote that Piker was “dressed up as Chairman Mao” and said he and his followers were trying to carry out “a cultural takeover of the Democratic Party.”
Piker responded on X to criticism from DSA Watch by writing: “no more to fascist trumpism and no more to the democrats who collaborate w fascists by funding ice and israel is a hitler style speech to you?”
What else has Piker said about Mao?
A resurfaced livestream clip that circulated after the convention shows Piker saying he had once been stopped by a police officer who thought he was mocking Mao Zedong, and that he “never would and never will” make fun of him. In that same clip, he said: “Mao Zedong is one of the great leaders of this world, OK? A man who changed the entire universe, the entire planet.” He also said, “There was a lot of f—–g excesses, let’s be real,” and, “But the People’s Republic of China would not exist without Mao Zedong.”
What is known — and what is not
The available video and social media posts show that Piker spoke at the College Democrats convention and that the clip spread widely online afterward. The record provided does not show an official response from College Democrats of America, and it does not show any policy action that followed from the speech.
Some secondary reports said the event was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and suggested other political figures were tied to the convention, but the materials provided do not include an official event program or an official sponsor list from College Democrats of America. As a result, the clearest verified facts are the speech itself, the clothing seen on camera, and the backlash that followed online.
