The Interview: John Fetterman Says Trump Is Stronger Than Ever
Whatever the result of this election, Democrats will be in a moment of transformation afterward.For nearly a decade, the party’s energies have been devoted to defeating Donald Trump.
That common goal caused most Democrats to rally around Kamala Harris as soon as Joe Biden stepped aside.But their united front has masked real fissures in the party, and at the intersection of many of them sits John Fetterman.Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s junior Democratic senator, gained early political fame as the towering and tattooed mayor of a working-class town, Braddock, Pa., and then became lieutenant governor of the state in 2019.
Three years later, he defeated the Trump-endorsed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in a tight Senate race, despite suffering a stroke just months before the election.But Fetterman’s time in the Senate has been bumpy.On the personal front, his stroke caused him difficulties with auditory processing — which you might notice a bit in our conversation.
He uses an iPad and transcription software to help with his listening comprehension.He has also been very public about seeking inpatient treatment for depression early in his term.And on the political front, his position in the party has become complicated.
As an early advocate of the $15 minimum wage and criminal-justice reform, he was seen as a rising national figure and progressive champion with blue-collar street cred.But over the past two years, he has irritated both wings of his party.
He was one of President Biden’s staunchest defenders, arguing for him to stay in the race when Democratic leaders were working to get him out.At the same time, he has been one of the most vocal supporters of Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, which has pitted him against many progressives, some of whom now feel betrayed by him.
(“I’m not a progressive,” he told NBC News late last year.) We talked about all of this and also the dynamics of the presidential election in his crucial state, where he says Trump is ...