John Fetterman video surprised attendees at the Republican midterm convention on Wednesday night, when the Pennsylvania Democrat appeared by video to introduce Republican Sen. Dave McCormick, a colleague he said he has grown close to. The 64-second message ran at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Fetterman called McCormick “the kind of senator that gets the job done” and said he was proud to call him a friend.
Reports ahead of the event suggested Fetterman might offer direct praise for former President Donald Trump. He did not. Standing before an industrial site in Pennsylvania and wearing his familiar black hoodie, Fetterman focused instead on safeguarding regional steel jobs.
“That’s the iconic U.S. Steel mill and that’s exactly the kind of thing that we’ll work on together,” he said. “We’ll work with President Trump to fight and defend the steel way of life, right here in the Steel Valley.”
John Fetterman video underscores party rift
That nod to working with the president was the closest Fetterman came to praising Trump. In the short clip he repeatedly identified himself as a Democrat and alluded to concerns he has raised in recent months about elements within his own party.
“Yes, I’m a Democrat. Why am I here talking to you today? Because, well, I’m a common sense Democrat,” he said. “I’m always going to stand with America. I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life.”
Fetterman has increasingly distanced himself from Democratic Party leaders. A recent report based on interviews with former staffers and lawmakers said he has shown limited interest in day-to-day Senate work while cultivating relationships with conservative media figures and advocating for Israel. Fetterman dismissed the report as “lies, half-truths, innuendos, smears and anonymous” and said he remains focused on delivering for Pennsylvania. He also argued that leaked messages cited in the story were taken out of context.
Fetterman, elected in 2022, suffered a stroke during his campaign and later faced a widely publicized battle with depression after taking office. He has said he would consider leaving the Democratic Party only if it adopts an anti-Israel stance.
A recent poll conducted by the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena College found Fetterman is viewed more favorably among Pennsylvania Republicans than McCormick. Among Democrats in the state, only 22 percent now hold a favorable view of him.
