Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania continued his break from progressive orthodoxy this week, telling Bill O’Reilly in an interview that his views increasingly diverge from the modern Democratic Party on issues ranging from Israel to national defense and political civility.
“I don’t say that to be a wise guy,” O’Reilly said, listing positions that have put Fetterman at odds with many on the left. “You support Israel and the progressives don’t, generally speaking. You are for a very rigorous defense against Putin in Ukraine, correct? You want to stop them, right?”
“Yeah, of course,” Fetterman replied. “I just on social media encouraged President Trump to provide Tomahawks to the Ukrainians. I mean, it’s like, he is probably the only person in the world that could end this terrible war.”
Pressed on why he remains a Democrat despite these views, O’Reilly said, “You’re not a wild spender, you want to get the debt under control, so why are you a Democrat? Because your party is against you on all three of those issues.”
“I think I want to follow the truths,” Fetterman said.
When asked why he does not identify as an independent, the senator reflected on his upbringing and political loyalties. “Well, I mean those are some independent thoughts, but overall, I mean, you have to pick one side – Republican, Democrat – that’s always been my party. Let me just say, it’s like I’m the only Democrat in my family. I grew up in a conservative part of Pennsylvania and I grew up and I know and I love people that voted for President Trump, but they are not fascists, they are not Nazis, they are not trying to destroy the Constitution.”
In a rare moment of candor for a national Democrat, Fetterman condemned the inflammatory rhetoric that has become common in political discourse. “I refuse to call people, you know, Nazis or fascists. I would never compare anybody, anybody to Hitler and those things, and that kind of extreme rhetoric is going to continue, we’re going to be more likely in resulting in extreme kind of outcomes and political violence,” he said.
He cited the recent shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a reminder of the dangers of escalating division. “Like Charlie Kirk. For me, all I could say is like, let people grieve. Give people the space. I’m not gonna use that terrible thing to make my argument and try to put out my views. It’s like, my God, you know, he’s a father that had his neck blown out by a bullet, and now people have forgotten, President Trump in my state was shot in the head, and could you imagine where our nation would be if he was hit in the same way as Kirk? We really gotta turn the temperature down.”
Last month, when Fox News host Maria Bartiromo asked whether he would consider switching parties, Fetterman was unequivocal. “No, I’m not going to switch,” he said.
Still, his willingness to defend conservatives, back Israel, and publicly call on President Trump to take a leading role in Ukraine underscores just how far Fetterman has moved from his party’s progressive base — and how uncomfortable that base now seems with a Democrat who preaches restraint, realism, and respect.
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