President Donald Trump said Saturday that he would welcome Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., into the Republican Party, calling the Pennsylvania Democrat a “great guy.”
A reporter asked Trump after he disembarked from Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews whether he had discussed a potential party switch with Fetterman and if he would support the senator becoming a Republican. Fetterman has repeatedly parted ways with Democrats on several issues during the current congressional session.
“I’d love to see it. I think he’s great,” Trump said.
Trump added that winning the Democratic nomination could be difficult for Fetterman, saying, “I’d love to have him as a Republican.”
The president praised Fetterman as a “great guy” and spoke favorably of his “magnificent parents,” whom he said he had previously spoken with.
“He’s a very solid person,” Trump said. “He’s smart and all that, but he’s got great common sense.”
Trump also argued that changing parties might improve Fetterman’s political prospects.
“If you look at the polls, he does better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat,” Trump said.
Trump’s remarks come as Fetterman has diverged from his party on high-profile matters, including the Iran war and immigration. He nevertheless continues to vote with Senate Democrats in the overwhelming majority of cases.
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Since entering the Senate in 2023, Fetterman has supported the Democratic caucus’s position nearly 90% of the time.
That rate has dropped to just below 81% during the current session of Congress, according to previous reporting by Fox News Digital.
Fetterman’s periodic breaks with Democratic leaders have prompted growing speculation that he could eventually switch to the Republican Party.
The senator has reportedly used Republican fundraising platforms to seek donations and has developed a close friendship with Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala.
Last month, Fetterman appeared in a video introducing Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., at the Republican Midterm Convention.
During an appearance at the Texas Tribune’s TribFest last month, Fetterman also mistakenly described himself as a lifelong Republican.
An audience member had asked Fetterman why he had not chosen to run as an independent.
“Because I’m a lifelong Republican,” Fetterman replied before catching the error. “I guarantee you that will break through. That will get clipped.”
Fox News Digital contacted Fetterman’s office for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
