Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said on Sunday that Democrats will need to shift their strategy now that President Donald Trump is back in the White House and Republicans hold both chambers of Congress. He warned that if the party leans further to the left, it risks remaining in the minority.
“They have forgotten one of the reasons why we lost in 2024,” Fetterman told CNN’s “Inside Politics Sunday.”
“Some people think now we have to double down on those things or we must become more progressive or more extreme. That’s absolutely not true. The seven or eight states that are going to determine who’s going to be our next president, you know, we have to win in those states, and I understand what that takes.”
Fetterman argued that Democrats’ reliance on framing Trump and Republicans as a “threat to democracy” has fallen flat. He said voters simply aren’t convinced, and the message has cost the party.
“We’ve really lost our connection with American voters in ways,” he said, adding, “We have to turn the temperature down.”
He added that Trump’s win was a legitimate outcome of the democratic process.
“This is not an autocrat; this is a product of a democratic election,” he said. “It’s like I participated in that. It was safe and it was secure. We lost, and the American people put us in the minority. That’s democracy.
“I revere democracy. I may not like the outcome, but I have to respect that.”
He also spoke out against Democrats who are floating the idea of shutting down the government during budget negotiations, saying such a move would “harm millions of Americans.” He further distanced himself from his party by backing Trump’s push to tackle violent crime at the federal level, saying cities need help curbing lawlessness.
When the topic turned to global affairs, Fetterman strongly supported Israel’s military campaign against Hamas and Iran. He dismissed criticism from some Democrats accusing Israel of deliberately starving Palestinians in Gaza.
“It is hell on earth, but I blame Hamas and Iran for that,” Fetterman concluded.
Though he often clashes with party leadership and does not attend caucus lunches, Fetterman said he still identifies as a Democrat and continues to back the party on major legislation. He did not commit, however, to running for another Senate term in 2028.
{Matzav.com}
