Democrats once hailed Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) as the party’s poster child: A plain-spoken, hoodie-wearing populist who appealed not just to those in his party but to independents and even some Republicans.
Lately, though, some Democrats say he’s appealing to Republicans and turning his back on his party with remarks defending President Trump and attacking his party over their criticisms of the White House.
As the Pennsylvania senator increasingly clashes with progressives and breaks with his fellow Democrats on a string of issues, some in the party are comparing him to former Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), another Democrat who some in the party say boosted Republicans while hurting his side.
This week alone, Fetterman accused the Democratic base of becoming “increasingly anti-American.” And almost worse, Democrats say, he was the only Senate Democrat to oppose legislation that would stop the war in Iran.
In a Wednesday appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, Fetterman cut into Democratic attacks on Trump’s remarks that he is not focused on the financial situations of Americans while negotiating with the Iranian government, arguing Trump’s comments were “clipped.”
“He said something that got clipped … saying, ‘I’m not thinking about American people financially,’ but what he really was saying — he did say — is, ‘I’m really thinking that we can’t ever let Iran building a bomb,’” Fetterman told Hannity.
All of this comes a couple of weeks after he told Democrats to get over their “Trump derangement syndrome” and agree to build a White House ballroom.
“I think Uncle Fester is a sellout and a fraud, and I look forward to helping do my part to retire him in two years,” Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko said.
Democratic strategist Eddie Vale said Democrats should be angry about Fetterman’s actions.
“Exactly what is underlying his actions isn’t 100 percent clear, as he seems to both revel in the attention from Fox and social media clicks while simultaneously declaring he will never leave the party,” Vale said.
“But it’s much clearer why Democrats are frustrated,” Vale added. “If you are holding down a state like West Virginia or Montana, people will give you a lot more leeway than if you’re doing what Fetterman is in Pennsylvania or what [former Sen. Joe] Lieberman did in Connecticut.”
Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2000, also irritated Democrats in subsequent years with his public statements. He left the Democratic Party to become an independent at the end of his long Senate career.
Fetterman has voted with his party on issues related to affordability, healthcare and women’s reproductive rights, something he emphasized in a recent Washington Post op-ed.
“My values have not changed, and I have always turned to those kinds of ideals that defined being a Democrat. I remain strongly pro-choice, pro-weed, pro-LGBT, pro-SNAP, pro-labor,” he wrote.
He also voted with Democrats on amendments to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs, to restore cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and to address the instances of companies delaying and denying healthcare during last month’s budget debate.
Asked about his relationship with Democrats on Fox News last month, Fetterman laughed, held up his hands and shook his head.
“Well, I mean, cordial. But I’m not necessarily the most popular guy, which is strange to me because it’s like, I am a Democrat and, you know, I’m the guy that flipped that seat.”
Democrats are relying on Fetterman and his vote. The GOP holds a 53-47 seat majority in the Senate, meaning Democrats would need to gain four seats this fall to take the majority. A 50-50 vote would allow Vice President Vance to break the tie.
Given that situation, Democrats need Fetterman in the fold, regardless of what he may be saying on national news shows.
Some of Fetterman’s Democratic colleagues in the Senate say they hardly pay attention to his comments on Fox News or his posts on social media.
“I don’t think about John Fetterman,” said a Democratic senator who requested anonymity to comment on his colleague’s standing in the Democratic caucus.
A Democratic aide who requested anonymity to comment on what Democratic senators think about Fetterman’s jabs at fellow Democrats on Fox said their boss has largely tuned out the Pennsylvania lawmaker.
“The senator doesn’t pay attention to him. There’s a bunch of other stuff going on,” the aide said, explaining that Democratic senators are more engaged with what their colleagues say in caucus meetings and on the floor than what they post on the social platform X.
Fetterman doesn’t have much visibility with Democratic colleagues because he doesn’t usually attend Senate Democratic caucus lunches and rarely hangs out on the Senate floor during votes because his trademark hoodie and shorts violate the chamber’s dress code.
The senator has kept his criticisms in general terms, refusing to call out colleagues by name in a way that would provoke their personal animosity.
The aide said that liberal firebrand Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has a bigger impact on the party’s brand than Fetterman’s occasional slaps at the Democratic base.
“Is he is hurting the party? I don’t think so,” the source said. “Democrats have a brand problem. I don’t think he’s moving the needle much on it. There’s an argument that Bernie Sanders is moving the needle on the brand of the Democratic Party. I don’t think John Fetterman has that influence.”
Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons said Fetterman is simply thinking of his own politics back home.
“My political take is that Fetterman sees the environment he’s in and is playing Pennsylvania general election politics,” Simmons said. “Also he’s an outsider, and being too much of a team player would undermine his core brand proposition.”
But another party strategist said Fetterman needs to consider the optics around his actions.
“At this point, it’s really a middle finger to the party,” one Democratic strategist said. “It’s doing damage at a time when there’s too much at stake.”
Alexander Bolton contributed.
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