Even Leftists Slam ‘Dangerous’ Hasan Piker After His Angry Rant While Dressed Like Chairman Mao

When it comes to a visual representation of the evils of communism, the recognizable garb of Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong tends to do the trick.

So that’s why it made far-left podcaster Hasan Piker’s recent appearance at a College Democrats convention in D.C. so noteworthy from the moment he walked on stage dressed like the communist leader.

As Breitbart reported, even leftist activists like Shannon Watts were outraged by his stunt:

Piker, the millennial Marxist live-streamer and millionaire nephew of the Young Turks’ Cenk Uyhur, took to the stage at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center to call out Democrats who cooperate with the “fascist” government:

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Anti-gun rights activist Shannon R. Watts criticized Piker’s speech and appearance, writing on X that he 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.”

She went on to call him a “dangerous, hateful extremist” who should not be welcomed by the Democratic Party or candidates.

“… anyone campaigning with him — including [Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul] El Sayed — should be held accountable by voters,” Watts wrote in a follow-up post.

Despite Mao’s communist regime resulting in tens of millions of deaths in China, Piker has told his fans that he refuses to criticize him and called him “one of the great leaders of this world”

Here’s some more of her reaction:

"I never would and never will criticize Mao Zedong… one of the great leaders of this world… who changed the entire universe … There was a lot of fucking excess… but China would not exist without Mao."

Mao’s rule caused 40M deaths through policies like the Great Leap… pic.twitter.com/ThG2lDC5Ql

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 19, 2026

And others clearly agreed:

You better get some more Democrats to disown this guy.
It's a really bad look.

— RichardH (@Natch_l_Blues) July 19, 2026

Unsurprisingly, there was plenty of backlash from across the ideological spectrum:

Hasan Piker dressed as Mao, brainwashing your kids at college.

They’re communists. This was always communism. pic.twitter.com/dgYOLLHNuq

— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) July 19, 2026

Fox News reported on Piker’s underwhelming explanation for his admiration of Mao:

Piker later responded after viewers challenged his praise for the former Chinese Communist Party chairman, according to a transcript published by Vox.

“There was a lot of f—–g excesses, let’s be real,” Piker said. “But the People’s Republic of China would not exist without Mao Zedong.”

Mao founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and led the country until his death in 1976. Estimates of deaths directly connected to the famine during Mao’s Great Leap Forward range from 23 million to 55 million, with 30 million most frequently cited, according to the Association of Asian Studies.

The video resurfaced after Piker appeared at the College Democrats’ July convention. The organization describes itself as the official collegiate arm of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

And here’s a rundown of some of Piker’s other scandals: