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Fetterman warns he would leave Democratic Party if it turns its back on Israel

Maverick Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said he has “no plans” to leave the Democratic Party, but warned Wednesday that if Democrats completely turn their backs on U.S. support for Israel, that would cross a red line that could alienate him from the party.

“If our party ever becomes the anti-Israel party and makes it official, then I will leave because that was a moral clarity for me,” he said in an interview at the Hill Nation Summit in Washington.

Fetterman said he could not understand why the Democratic Party, which shares a set of values with Israel as a major democracy in the Middle East, had turned against a longstanding ally.

The Pennsylvania Democrat says he has great “concern” about the direction of many Democrats who are increasingly critical of U.S. aid to Israel amid growing pressure from the party’s progressive base.

“My long-term concern is with the Democratic Party, of which I am a member, that our party will step back and turn its back on Israel,” he said.

Fetterman cited Democrats’ support for an amendment sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) to cut $3.3 billion in annual security aid to Israel and the success of progressive candidates in the Democratic primaries who have harshly criticized Israel.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) and No. 1 and No. 2 House Democrats Katherine Clark (Mass.) are split on Massie’s amendment; Jeffries opposes this and Clark supports it.

Fetterman said Clark’s support for the amendment reflects a party-wide trend.

“You look at the kind of individuals that won our last primaries,” he said. “He becomes even more anti-Israeli, anti-Israeli, and hostile to pro-Israel people.”

He criticized fellow Democrats who are “trying to curry favor with a segment of our voter base that is intensely, deeply anti-Israel.”

Fetterman acknowledged that Republicans approached him about leaving the Democratic Party, but declined to disclose “private conversations.”

The senator expressed concerns about progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s strong showing in the polls in the Michigan Senate Democratic primary. He warned that Democrats would have to pour millions more dollars into the battleground state to compete in November if he becomes the nominee.

“Rogers barely lost in ’24,” Fetterman said, referring to former Rep. Mike Rogers (R), the Republican candidate who narrowly lost the 2024 Michigan Senate race.

“If El-Sayed wins, it puts Michigan in more play for us and requires us to spend more money. We describe El-Sayed as anti-Israel and hostile to Israel,” Fetterman said.

He also criticized past comments by El-Sayed and other progressive candidates expressing support for the “defund the police” movement and questioned whether Democrats had truly learned the lessons of losing the 2024 presidential election.

“Now we have more Democrats going to ‘defund the police.’ We’re back to some of the worst impulses here that we couldn’t resist. We forgot the crazy things we said, and it cost us the 2024 election. Now we want to revisit that; if anything, they’re coming back strongest. Look at the winners,” he said.

Democratic socialist candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, supported by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), deleted a social media account in which she called for the abolition of police, borders and prisons and claimed that Israel does not exist. Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old activist, defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat (DY) in New York’s 13th Congressional District Democratic primary.

Fetterman also expressed disappointment with his fellow Democratic senators who supported progressive insurgent candidate Graham Platner in the critical Maine Senate race, even though he had not been carefully vetted and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) was heavily recruiting Democratic Gov. Janet Mills to run for the Maine Senate seat.

Fetterman said he was “angry” that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had backed Platner so strongly and was reluctant to withdraw his support even after The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported disturbing allegations about the candidate’s past behavior in early June.

“As a Democrat, I’m angry at people like Bernie Sanders who pushed that rapist. Why did so many people on the left embrace that rapist?” he said, referring to Platner.

“What was the objection? Was it his lack of a record in public service? Was it his Nazi ink record? Was it the crazy things he said online? What was it about him bashing his ex-girlfriends?” he asked.

“Why did you push these people? Why did you accept this idea and then now throw that most important Senate race into chaos?” Fetterman was outraged and argued that Platner’s campaign implosion made it “more difficult” to defeat Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and gain control of the Senate.

Fetterman wanted to know why his Democratic colleagues had not apologized for supporting Platner.

Platner ended his campaign after Jenny Racicot, 41, of Maine accused him of raping her in 2021.

“Did Van Hollen apologize to the victim? I don’t know, I haven’t seen it. Same goes for Bernie,” Fetterman said, referring to Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the group of Senate Democratic progressives who called themselves “Fight Club” and initially supported Platner but later withdrew his support along with many other Democrats.

“Where is the responsibility?” Fetterman asked. “Imagine if I did this and forced such a person.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) dodged questions Monday about whether she regretted endorsing Platner, but made clear she was calling for him to end his campaign.

“I asked Platner to drop out of the race, and he did. Now it’s time for us to find a candidate in Maine and take back the majority in the Senate,” he said.

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