Fox News hosts such as Hannity and others on the right have tried to turn Piker into their latest bogeyman and demanded that Democratic candidates answer to things he’s said over the years.
But de Blasio wasn’t having it during his exchange with Hannity.
“Do you like Hasan Piker? Do you support him?” Hannity asked.
“I have mixed views,” de Blasio admitted. “But I think the way you’re describing him, you could’ve been talking about Donald Trump, honestly. Cozies up to dictators, says extreme things. C’mon.”
Hannity stammered for a moment before he got out a response.
“Bill, you’re breaking the rules,” he said.
“I didn’t agree to the rule, my friend,” de Blasio replied.
At the start of the segment, Hannity had asked de Blasio to answer each question “right away” so he can move on to the next one quickly, then have more time to talk later in the segment.
“OK? Fair?” Hannity asked.
“No,” de Blasio answered. “But go ahead.”
Piker approved of that approach, writing on X: