Sen. Fetterman Warns Dems About Being 'Reactive' to the Administration's Rhetoric: 'We Can't Just Be, 'Trump Is Always Wrong!'

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman urged his party to rethink its approach after losing the 2024 election, cautioning that Democrats risk remaining in the minority if they continue to define themselves only in opposition to President Donald Trump.

Fetterman, appearing on CNN's "Inside Politics Sunday" criticized what he described as a reactive posture among Democrats. "Clearly, we've lost the argument" on the issues that helped Trump secure a second term, he said. "We've really lost our connection with American voters in ways," adding, "We can't just be, 'Trump is always wrong!'"

"They have forgotten one of the reasons why we lost in 2024," Fetterman told interviewer Manu Raju, adding that some of the party's left-wing policies were "weaponized" against Democrats last year and rejecting the idea that doubling down on progressive positions is the way forward. "The seven or eight states that are going to determine who's going to be our next president, you know, we have to win in those states, and I understand what that takes," he said.

While Trump's opponents frequently described him as a "threat to democracy," Fetterman also used the interview to comment against casting him as an autocrat.

"We have to turn the temperature down. It's like we can't compare people to these kinds of figures in history. And this is not an autocrat. This is a product of a democratic election. I revere democracy. I may not like the outcome, but I have to respect that."

Pressed on whether Trump is breaking democratic norms, Fetterman replied, "He's definitely different, but that's what America voted for."

In matters of crime and immigration, the former mayor said he welcomed assistance in fighting violence, even if it came from federal troops. "Just because ... if Trump is calling for something X, Y and Z, then that doesn't mean we have to necessarily oppose that," he said. He did however dismiss workplace raids saying that while he supports secure borders and deporting criminals, "we shouldn't target otherwise hard-working migrants that are just effectively making a significant contribution to our economy."

Fetterman has frequently broken with the Democratic party's stance regarding the current administration. In July, he voiced support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, telling Fox News that "ICE agents are just doing their job and I fully support that," a stance Trump later praised. More recently, he supported the use of military force against cartels following an attack off Venezuela's coast, writing that he "fully support[s] confronting the scourge of cartel drug trafficking to our nation."

Despite his criticism of Democrats, Fetterman emphasized he is not leaving the party. "I'm a Democrat. I just made a significant investment in the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. I'm not changing my party," he said.