What did Twitch streamer Hasan Piker say at Zohran Mamdani's victory party, and why has his USSR comment enraged people?

Twitch streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker has once again found himself at the center of a controversy. This time, it is over a statement that he made during New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's victory party.


In a clip that has quickly went viral on Reddit and X, Hasan can be heard saying, "Yeah, I think we are in the heart of the imperial core. This is the country that defeated the USSR, unfortunately. And the reality of the matter is, there is a lot of antagonism. There is no class consciousness in the United States of America. It's one of the things I try to address every day with my commentary. And I will say this. The conditions have deteriorated so much that everyday Americans, in spite of their lack of class consciousness, are finally arriving at the conclusion that perhaps there is an alternative out there, there is an alternative that focuses on them, as opposed to the interests of the billionaires and millionaires, as opposed to the interests of the capital owners. And, I mean, you can't t help but notice that. You can't help but feel at least a little bit of excitement around that."




Hasan's tone suggested a critique of US imperialism. His phrase, "defeated the USSR, unfortunately" has sparked immediate backlash online. Many users have called his stance "ignorant" and "provocative."

For the unversed, in leftist political circles, "imperial core" is a term that is used to describe nations that benefit from global capitalism and exert influence over the developing countries. Hence, by saying "unfortunately", Hasan was likely trying to say that America's dominance after the fall of USSR led to inequality and imperialism, not that he supported Soviet authoritarianism.

"Defeated the USSR is such an ignorant phrase to use overall. This is more proof that Hasan isn’t actually a historically educated person," one of the comments read. Another user mocked him and said, "He's so drunk lmao... 'unfortunately this is the country that defeated the USSR' What is he even saying?". Still, his statement and especially the word "unfortunately" didn't land well with many. Another one pointed out, "A literal multimillionaire with a designer dog calling the US 'the imperial core' is wild."

The phrase 'the USA defeated the USSR' refers to the end of the Cold War, which was a decades-long rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union between late 1940s and 1991. Unlike a traditional war, there were no direct battles between the two superpowers. However, they competed via military build-up, global influence, and ideology (capitalism vs communism). Over time, the Soviet Union's economy had weakened, political reforms backfired, and its people lost faith in the system.

In 1991, the USSR collapsed, and the US emerged as the world's sole superpower. So, when people say the US "defeated" the USSR, it means America's capitalist model outlasted the Soviet Union's communist one. The reduction of communist control and the rise of democratic governments in former Soviet-aligned countries marked the end of Soviet influence.