Hasan Piker makes flurry of incendiary remarks during unhinged New York Times podcast interview

Hasan Piker, Nadja Spiegelman and Jia Tolentino.

Condoning the actions of Luigi Mangione. Celebrating the idea of stealing from a national grocery story chain. Advocating for more heists of "priceless artifacts" from the Louvre. Calling for anarchy and "full chaos." In a normal world, all of these sorts of comments would be considered the deranged ramblings of a mentally unstable individual. But over at the New York Times podcast The Opinions, these unhinged remarks are cause for giggles and conviviality.

The controversial antisemite Hasan Piker, who's influence has been on the rise lately, enjoyed a visit to a New York Times podcast that will further extend his reach, and allowed him to unleash a flurry of wild remarks that reveal where the modern left already is -- and where it's going. Piker, who was become of darling of the radical left in recent months, was interviewed alongside Jia Tolentino, a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine. Tolentino's main role during the podcast seemed to be to giggle at Piker's lunacy while offering tepid agreement with some of his most extreme remarks. 

Piker explained the popularity of Luigi Mangione, the lone suspect accused in the 2024 assassination of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson, as Mangione playing the role of judge, jury and executioner of Thompson, whom Piker deemed was guilty "of engaging in a tremendous amount of social murder."

When podcast host Nadja Spiegelman asked Piker whether stealing from Whole Foods would be morally acceptable, Piker replied, "I’m pro stealing from big corporations because they steal far more from their own workers. One thing that might help your ethical dilemma: these companies know the automated systems they design will increase shrink. It’s already factored in. They still end up with higher profit margins because they no longer have to pay cashiers, as opposed to using staffed checkout systems."

Spiegelman actually pressed Piker about his stance on stealing -- not from a moral perspective, but suggesting that rampant theft might raise prices for all consumers. 

“Full chaos, let’s go!" Piker declared, prompting guffaws from Spiegelman and Tolentino. "I’m also in favor of fast, free buses and government owned storefronts.” Piker said he would draw the line with stealing from a store like a Mamdani-style government run supermarket. "That’s taxpayer funded and union labor."

Elsewhere in the interview, Piker expressed a desire to pull of a heist at the Louvre or merely petty auto theft. "I’m pro-piracy all the way, like, across the board," Piker told Spiegelman, adding he would steal a car "if I could get away with it." 

He also has a hankering for larger criminal enterprises, he said. "I think it’s cool. We’ve got to get back to cool crimes like that: bank robberies, right? Stealing priceless artifacts, things of that nature. I feel like that’s way cooler than the 7,000th new cryptocurrency scheme that people are engaging in."

Tolentino admitted she wouldn't be "logistically capable" of pulling off a complex heist, but said she would "absolutely" cheer on every thief attempting to rip off the Louvre or other similar iconic museums. 

But Piker and Tolentino reserve their criminal tendencies for those whom they deem can afford it, saying they would never dine and dash and wouldn't steal a book from a local library. Watch the full bananas interview here, and see the clip of Piker talking about the need for more heists below.