USA

Democratic base becoming ‘increasingly anti-American’

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) on Wednesday accused his Democratic base of being “increasingly anti-American” in the face of calls against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, Iran and Cuba.

Reason magazine’s Nick Gillespie asked Fetterman: “Reason InterviewA podcast about what the senator, who supported Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a democratic socialist, in 2016, thinks now about his politics.

“So, you know, in 2016 it was more about the minimum wage and some other basic things,” Fetterman said. “And now that turned into siding with the likes of Cuba, siding with Venezuela, siding with the Iranian regime, and that turned into me becoming more and more anti-American. So my views haven’t really changed that much.”

Fetterman stated that he has not seen a change in his political views and cited his support for marriage equality as an example.

“What has really changed is the party,” he continued. “And in 2024, I was there as a Democrat campaigning for Kamala Harris. It was very clear that we were going to lose. And a lot of the excesses that we had in 2020 were revisited… the excesses of the party at that time invited a second term of the Trump administration.”

Fetterman also noted that union members and leaders have taken a step away from supporting Democrats, a tradition since the New Deal era, and toward supporting President Trump.

“And I think we can now effectively count that most of the traditional union members have already left the Democratic Party,” the Pennsylvania Democrat said. “That’s where we are. And there’s been a significant realignment of parts of our base.”

Fetterman emphasized that he “hasn’t changed” since taking over former Sen. Pat Toomey’s (R-Pa.) seat in 2022. Column in The Washington Post He said elected Democrats “can’t be the exact opposite of what President Donald Trump says.”

“I would be a terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats,” he wrote in a column about the idea of switching parties.

He also says he feels “lonely” within his own party, especially given its support for Israel and border security. The centrist Democrat called out colleagues who oppose the rapid development of artificial intelligence and data centers, calling their opposition “crazy.”

Fetterman also pushed back against claims by many Democrats and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, killing more than 70,000 Palestinians. He labeled Greene “crazy pants” and withdrew her genocide claim in 2025.

“This is not genocide, you know, that’s not the case,” he told reporters at the time about Greene’s remarks. “And she has the right to her opinion, but I have the right to not care what her views are on this.”

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