A photograph of Twitch streamer Hasan Piker in his underwear was displayed during a video played at the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, prompting a visible reaction from Piker during his livestream.
The image appeared briefly in a video shown on giant screens behind the stage during the opening day of the two-day event, which the RNC described as a "special ceremonial convention" to celebrate President Donald Trump’s accomplishments and rally Republican support ahead of the November midterms. The RNC noted that delegates could not conduct formal party business, adopt resolutions, or hold elections during the gathering.
Piker, who identifies as a socialist and has a large online following, was seen on his livestream reacting with disbelief to the footage. "What the f***?" he said. "What the f*** is this?" He later added, "Nooo! They fking posted the meat pic! Nooo! Yo! They posted the meat pic at the fking Trumpapalooza!"
The photograph was included in a video that characterized Democrats as communists and appeared to use Piker as a representative of the Democratic Party’s left flank. Republicans have increasingly sought to portray Piker in this manner in the lead-up to the midterm elections.
The RNC has not publicly commented on the inclusion of the image in the video. Newsweek attempted to contact the RNC and representatives for Piker for comment but did not receive a response outside of normal working hours.
The convention, held in Dallas, Texas, concluded on Thursday after two days of programming focused on energizing Republican voters for the midterm elections.