‘Where Are You Going with This?!’ Fox Host and Dem Strategist Brawl in Hasan Piker Clash

Fox News’ Julie Banderas clashed with Democratic strategist Corbin Trent on Friday as he offered a defense for Democrats embracing far-left streamer Hasan Piker.

Banderas filled in for Harris Faulkner on The Faulkner Focus and brought in Trent, a former communications director with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and podcaster DeVory Darkins to discuss the current Democratic Party divides over controversial progressives like Piker.

Banderas noted before bringing on her guests that the latest comment to get Piker in hot water is earning bipartisan backlash, though some are still refusing to condemn the streamer. Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D) is among those Democrats. He’s campaigned with Piker and said he doesn’t agree with all of Piker’s positions, but he’s stopped short of condemning him and cutting ties.

On a recent stream Piker said that American Jews could be facing violence if they are seen as staunch supporters of Israel’s government.

“If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone is going to come around and take action, not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews,” Piker said.

Piker has also earned plenty of backlash over other past comments, like saying the U.S. “deserved” the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Banderas asked Trent how some Democrats can continue defending Piker and not see their association to him as a “bad” look for the party.

Trent defended Piker and argued his views reflect growing views in the U.S., taking to quoting CNN’s Dana Bash at one point, though he was quoting the wrong person.

He said:

This is not an extreme position. This is being painted as this sort of radical idea that the actions of Israel are impacting the Jewish American people, right? So what you got to look at though is the American people themselves.

60% of Republicans nearly under the age of 49 now hold an unfavorable view of Israel. That’s Republicans. 60% of Americans hold an unfavorable view overall. We are seeing people say now that they don’t believe we should continue military aid to Israel. This is not an unusual position.

The thing that you people keep saying is that Hasan Piker said that Jews were to blame for whatever happened to them, but let’s think about some actually the things that he said and how similar it is to what other people have said. Here is a quote from Dana Bash. “Benjamin Netanyahu has made us less safe. He frankly put Jews in an uncomfortable position across country.”

Banderas shut down the Bash quotes, dismissing them as being from the “liberal media.”

Trent was wrongly quoting Bash as the CNN anchor said those comments when she herself was quoting Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), whom El-Sayed defeated in their Senate primary, during an interview with Israeli Prime Miniter Benjamin Netanyahu.

Banderas called Piker’s quote “insanity.”

“How do you say something and get away with the fact and then not suffer if you are running for election and you are associating with rhetoric such as that American Jews are bringing on violence to themselves because they support Israel. That’s just pure insanity,” she said.

Trent then took issue with her description of the quote.

“That’s what he said!” she snapped.

Trent further defended Piker as Banderas explained there is a valley of difference between criticizing the Israeli government over their strikes in Gaza and criticizing American Jews.

Check out the exchange below:

CORBIN TRENT: Here’s what’s crazy to me. Do you understand after 9/11, everybody had to denounce the attacks, everybody that was Muslim had to say I don’t agree with that.

JULIE BANDERAS: So you want him to denounce Israel? Where are you going with this?

TRENT: What I’m saying is it’s clear that actions of other people can absolutely impact Americans of a certain group, right? And that fact is happening right now. And it’s not the liberal media saying it, it’s not just Hasan Piker saying it, it is happening across the American public.

The actions of Israel are so extreme and our support for that is so extreme and unending that people are having backlash. And yes, that does indeed create a problem for Jewish people, and it’s not just extreme people that are saying that. It is people like Ezra Klein. People active in the Jewish movement. There are a lot of people saying that the actions of Israel and Netanyahu are making us less safe.

BANDERAS: I mean, there is a complete difference between opposing Israel and American Jews, a complete difference there. And those who are here in America that support Israel, of course they’re gonna support Israel if they are Jewish and of course they’re gonna be against terrorism and that is what a lot of these comments are promoting is hate against Jews.

TRENT: What you just said would have been considered antisemitic.

Banderas then brought in Darkins who predicted Piker will become a major issue for El-Sayed and other candidates, something Trent dismissed as a “miscalculation,” noting El-Sayed’s win in an election where tens of millions were spent against him.

Banderas clashed with Trent again before they moved on from Piker.

“What we’re focusing on right now are American Jews and somebody came out like Piker and said American Jews are basically bringing violence to themselves for supporting Israel. That’s just crazy. I’m sorry, but that is what he said,” Banderas said.

“That’s not what he said,” Trent threw back.

“That is what he said,” Banderas said.

“That’s not what he said. I’ve got the quote right here. Do you want to hear it?” Trent asked.

“He basically said that American Jews are essentially — no!” Banderas snapped as Trent shook his head. “That is the point he’s trying to make, that American Jews are almost putting themselves in harm’s way by calling violence onto themselves for supporting Israel.”

Watch above via Fox News.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!