Senator John Fetterman – once a darling of the left but increasingly looking to himself as a bridge to the far right – on Sunday doubled down on advice for fellow Democrats who loathe the thought of Donald Trump’s impending second presidency: “You need to chill out. ”
“You know, just like the constant… panicking, it doesn’t help,” Fetterman said.
Fetterman, who recently joined Trump’s Truth Social network, advised Democrats to “grab a lunch and take it easy because he hasn’t even taken office yet” for a second four-year term, which starts in January 2025.
The Pennsylvania senator, who has largely stripped himself of his progressive credentials as the party tries to reposition itself after Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election, was asked by ABC News’ Jonathan Karl for his view of the defeat.
‘You have a unique political talent. It’s undeniable,” Fetterman responded, referring to Trump’s return to the White House after the Republican lost to Democratic rival Joe Biden in 2020.
Despite a chaotic first term that led some historians to label Trump the worst president of all time, Fetterman said Trump has the potential to be good in the Oval Office. And he said he wouldn’t necessarily oppose him as a Democrat.
“If you oppose the president, you oppose the nation,” Fetterman said. “And I will never be where I want a president to fail. So land first.
“It may have become a cliché… but it just happens to be the truth.”
In his first post on Trump’s platform on December 10, Fetterman dismissed Trump’s conviction in New York for criminally falsifying hush money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels as “nonsense.” He also used the same term to describe Hunter Biden’s conviction on federal charges of lying on gun ownership forms and tax evasion, saying a pardon was appropriate for both cases.
Hunter Biden’s father has pardoned him. Trump has not been pardoned for the New York conviction, which took place in state court.
“Weaponizing the judiciary for blatant, partisan gain diminishes collective trust in our institutions and sows further division,” Fetterman added.
Fetterman’s comments on Sunday came as Democrats try to establish a new political base that is exacerbating the existing divide between generations.
Recently, progressive New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 35, lost her race to lead Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, which would have given her a powerful platform to lead congressional investigations.
A lobbying power play by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi passed the position to 74-year-old Virginia Democrat Gerry Connolly, symbolically and effectively ending progressive calls for a generational change in Democratic party leadership thwarted.
Fetterman continued that theme Sunday in his appearance with ABC’s Karl, arguing that he never believed his party’s characterization of Trump as a fascist but accepted that it was Harris’ “prerogative” to use the term when the vice president ran for the White House.
“It’s not a word I would use,” he said, “because as far as I know, you’ve put a lot of Democrats in office, especially in my state, and I like people who are going to vote for Trump, and they’re not. fascists.”
Fetterman also invoked the use of the word. “Fascism, that’s not a word that regular people, you know, use, you know? I think people are going to decide who is the candidate who is going to protect and project my version of the American way of life, and that’s what happened,” Fetterman said.
The senator said he had not spoken to Trump since his election victory, but if and when he did, he would say, “Congratulations.” could work together, and there are some things we won’t agree on.”
Fetterman added, “I’d like to avoid the cheap heat and other things, but it’s going to be a crazy ride, I’m sure. I try to be a committed, steady voice for Pennsylvania and remember that we must find victories in the midst of incredibly divisive times.
