Streamer Hasan Piker sparked controversy after telling "The Breakfast Club" that Israel, in its "current formation," does not have a "right to exist," comparing the claim to asking whether Nazi Germany, apartheid South Africa or Rhodesia had a right to exist. He also equated Zionism with fascism, arguing the comparison to Nazi Germany reflects why Israeli society has moved rightward, while insisting his position does not amount to advocating violence against Jews or Israelis. His remarks have deepened divisions within the Democratic Party, where some figures embrace him and others distance themselves.

A UCLA professor, Benjamin Radd, disputed Piker's framing of Israel as a "settler colonial" project seeking the "extermination" of the indigenous population, calling it historically ignorant and arguing multiple groups, including Jews, hold legitimate indigenous claims. The row has particular resonance in Michigan, where Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who has previously campaigned alongside Piker, moved to distance his campaign from the streamer after Piker featured an image of Jewish state senator Jeremy Moss, a Democratic congressional nominee who says a fake audio clip has circulated misrepresenting his views on US support for Israel.