Trump Praises Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman Amid GOP Calls

President Donald Trump says he would welcome Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman into the Republican Party.

Speaking to reporters Saturday evening at Joint Base Andrews, Trump said it would be “hard” for Fetterman to win a Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. He added that he would “love to have him as a Republican.”

Trump’s comments come as Republicans face growing uncertainty over their hold on the Senate.

Although Fetterman has developed notably close ties with some Republicans, he has repeatedly dismissed speculation that he could leave the Democratic Party.

Still, calls for a party switch could intensify if Democrats narrowly regain control of the Senate next month.

Trump described Fetterman as a politician with “great common sense,” arguing that he “does better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat.”

A Quinnipiac University poll released last Wednesday found that 72 percent of Republicans viewed Fetterman favorably. By contrast, just 13 percent of Democrats expressed a positive opinion of the Pennsylvania senator.

The same survey showed that 69 percent of Democrats held an unfavorable view of Fetterman, compared with 19 percent of Republicans.

Among independent voters, 49 percent viewed Fetterman negatively, while 27 percent said they had a favorable opinion of him.

Trump also offered praise for Fetterman’s parents during Saturday’s exchange with reporters, calling them “magnificent.”

An investigation by the Philadelphia Inquirer found that Fetterman regularly traveled from Washington, DC, roughly 100 miles to dine with his parents in York, Pennsylvania, returning to the Capitol the next day. 

The newspaper also reported that Fetterman’s campaign spent $8,900 on hotel accommodations in York, while its overall lodging expenses reached $168,700.

Our News Outlet contacted Fetterman’s office for comment on Trump’s remarks.

At last month’s Texas Tribune Festival, Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in 2022, mistakenly said that he had always been a Republican.

The comment came after he was asked, “Why not become an independent?” during a question-and-answer session with the host.

Fetterman responded that he was a “lifelong Republican,” prompting the host to correct him and point out that he was a Democrat.

Earlier in September, Fetterman addressed the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas by video. He praised fellow Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick and highlighted his record of working with President Donald Trump.

Among Democrats, the reaction to Fetterman’s flirtation with mutiny was fierce.

Congressman Chris Deluzio, a Democrat representing one of the country’s top GOP-targeted congressional seats in Pennsylvania’s 17th district, called out Fetterman for being ‘too lazy to do it in person.’

In a statement after the speech, Fetterman said he wouldn’t leave the Democratic Party.

‘I’m a lifelong Democrat who votes overwhelmingly with my party – and should the Senate flip in November, I will still be the 51st vote that I ran on,’ he said in a statement released to The Washington Sun shortly after the video played.

Earlier in the summer, Fetterman, however, did reveal the ultimate red line that would make him abandon the Democrats.

‘If our party ever becomes — and just makes it official — the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave because that’s been a moral clarity for me,’ he shared at the event.

Fetterman also noted that his ‘long-term concern has been with the Democratic Party, as I am a member of that, is that our party is going to back away and turn their back to Israel.’

That same month, 103 of 211 Democrats in the US House of Representatives voted against providing aid to Israel, while 10 more of their colleagues voted ‘present’ on the measure.