Trump would ‘love to see’ Sen. John Fetterman switch parties and become a Republican
by Lindsey McPherson · The Washington TimesPresident Trump is among an increasingly vocal group of Republicans saying they would like Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania to switch parties and join their team.
“I’d love to see it. I think he’s great,” Mr. Trump said Saturday night when asked by a reporter if he has talked to Mr. Fetterman about becoming a Republican.
Mr. Fetterman is the only Democrat who has backed Mr. Trump’s war against Iran and has remained a staunch defender of Israel as more in his party speak out against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza.
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The Pennsylvania senator is not up for reelection this cycle and has not yet said if he will run in 2028.
“It’s going to be hard for him to get the nomination as a Democrat, but I’d love to have him as a Republican,” Mr. Trump said, citing public polls showing Mr. Fetterman has more support among Republicans than Democrats.
The president called the senator “a very solid person” who is smart and has “great common sense.”
Mr. Trump’s comments come as election prognosticators say Democrats are poised to pick up Senate seats in November’s midterm elections and have a shot at taking the majority.
Persuading Mr. Fetterman to become a Republican could tip the scales, but the senator has repeatedly rebuffed suggestions about switching parties by saying he is a “lifelong Democrat.”
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However, he slipped up when asked at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin last month why he does not just become an independent.
“Because I’m a lifelong Republican,” Mr. Fetterman said.
“Democrat,” the interviewer corrected him.
Mr. Fetterman laughed it off, and they joked about how the comment would be clipped and splattered around the internet. The senator also made sure to correct the record and said he is a “lifelong Democrat.”
Mr. Trump, in speaking about his desire to see Mr. Fetterman as a Republican, referenced the senator’s “magnificent parents.”
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“I got to speak to his parents about something, and they were great — the mother, the father,” the president said, without elaborating on the topic of the conversation.
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Lindsey McPherson
lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com
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