“You can’t ‘work’ like crazy,” John Fetterman wrote. “You have to call it what it is. Whatever that is less is a settlement without tidying up.”
It was mid-2016 and Fetterman, who had since been running in the Democratic primary for the US Senate seat in Pennsylvania, responded to political articles about how Democrats work with Donald Trump. Ta.
Fetterman, an early supporter of Bernie Sanders’ bid for the presidency, had a reputation as an outspoken progressive in Sanders’ mold. He held similar positions to the democratic socialist Vermont Senator. On the campaign trail, Fetterman frequently spoke about income inequality and marijuana legality. He supported Universal Healthcare – a progressive litmus test.
He was also a fierce Trump critic at the time, as Fetterman was garnering growing fans among the Democratic left.
“Also, @Realdonaldtrump saw his shadow – four more years of fascism,” Fetterman wrote in early February 2017 along with a gif for the film Groundhog Day.
Things are different now.
In 2025, he lost his Senate bid in 2016 but was elected in 2022, Fetterman himself is a fierce critic of the exact type of politician he himself had years ago. He denounces Democrats who call Trump “fascists,” claiming the party’s brand has become toxic. His support for Universal Healthcare was removed long ago.
And despite his belief that he can’t work with crazy people, Fetterman has proven to be a Democrat who is most pleased to work with Trump, and his colleagues are president They argue that they need to stop “going weird” against them. This is a rather dramatic shift for a man who once sold a campaign that sold T-shirts under the slogan “Trump is Jagoff.”
In early January, he praised the then-presidential election as “a singular political talent” in an interview with ABC News before becoming the first Senate Democrat to visit Trump since the election.
“I’m all Pennsylvanian senators in Pennsylvania. I spoke about the Trump conference at the Florida Health Club, where Trump lived for four years, as well as Pennsylvania Democrats.
“It was clear that no one was my gatekeeper. If it helps to reach Pennsylvania and the country, I’ll meet and talk to anyone.”
After the meeting, he appears to defend some of Trump’s border policies, especially those convicted in connection with the January 6 rebellion. He declined to criticize Trump’s decision to forgive the 1,600 people. He was the last Democrat to sign a resolution condemning pardon in late January.
There are other signs of warmth towards Trump that are rarely seen by elected Democrats. Fetterman joined Trump’s Truth Social Network in December, one of the first things he did from his party, and quickly used it and found guilty in connection with payment of hash money to porn stars He sought Trump’s pardon on the 34 felony crimes sentenced.
“The Trump Hash Money and Hunter Biden cases are both bullshit and pardons are appropriate,” Fetterman wrote. “Weaponizing the judiciary for blatant partisanship reduces collective faith in our institutions and reduces further division as well.”
His complaints about the weaponization of the judiciary should be tallied with his vote (only a democratic “yeah” vote) to confirm Trump’s choice for the Attorney General. I can’t see it. On one of her first days at work, Bondi sent an ominous email to an employee of the Department of Justice, saying that “refusing to refuse to deny good arguments on behalf of the administration” was “discipline and “They are potentially subject to fire,” while the prosecutors who worked on cases in which their scores relate to the riots were fired.
Fetterman is the only democratic voice, or very few, supporting other Trump Cabinet candidates, and in some cases the vote is inconsistent with his past statements.
“Nixon founded the EPA. Fetterman wrote in a tweet in 2017. He managed to overcome that belief when he supported Lee Zeldin as an Environmental Protection Agency administrator. Zeldin took office. A few days later, it was said that about 1,000 staff members were faced with immediate fire, but the career staff who oversee the pollution laws and cleansing of dangerous waste have already been demoted .
Other Trump picks are also supported. Fetterman is one of seven Democrats who voted to confirm that Kristi Noem is the secretary of homeland security, and one of two supports Eric Turner as a secretary of housing and urban development I did.
What’s even more troublesome for some is that Fetterman seems willing to indulge in Trump’s plans to take over the Gaza Strip. Trump said the US will “own” the Gaza Strip under the plan proposed on February 4th, and that Palestinians will be moved to neighbouring countries.
Capitol on January 25th, 2024. Photo: J. Scott Apple White/AP
That’s what Virginia Democrat Tim Kane calls the proposal “confusing” and “nuts,” and even the longtime Trump Sicopant Lindsey Graham described it as “very problematic.” And it was a plan that shocked many people in both parties. Fetterman, whose solid support for Israel has brought him to conflict with the Democrats’ progressive wings, was one of the few unenthusiastic voices.
“It’s a provocative part of the conversation, but it’s part of the conversation, and that’s one of us,” Fetterman told Jewish insiders that the US unfolds under Trump’s plan. He added that he “full support” the military.
His actions have not been noticed in his hometown. Last week, Trump’s protests in Pittsburgh were criticised by Fetterman’s voice, with many reporting “Fetterman! Fetterman! Do your job!” by a public source.
Recently in 2022, Fetterman has been clinging to some of his progressive qualifications. In the Senate primary, he spoke of his early support for Sanders and turned his opponent, Connor Lamb, into a centristic Democrat who repeatedly blocked Democrat efforts to pass the law. He accused him of resembling Congressman Joe Manchin.
Ironically, two years after the Senate, it’s now accusation that has been levelled in Fetterman in several quarters. Social media rumors and commentary suggest that he could even switch to an independent senator or change parties. Fetterman is not grateful for such a story.
“That’s amateur hour shit,” he told Semar in January. If they think, “Oh, it’s going to be like Manchin and Cinema plays,” then it’s not true and it won’t happen. ”
For now, it appears that Democrats have to take Fetterman to come: they are more open to working with Trump than anyone else in his party, and now they can do so Work with progressive conversion crazy, not progressive purposes that seem to believe.
