Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman on Sunday told his fellow Democrats they need to “chill out” over every move President-elect Donald Trump makes — and then made clear he was “not rooting against” the incoming commander in chief.
Fetterman said freaking out over a second Trump term was not the right approach and encouraged his party to “pack a lunch” and calm down when asked what he feared most after Inauguration Day.
The moderate Democrat raised eyebrows during an ABC News interview in which he weighed in Trump’s second ascent to the Oval Office and how some Dems, including Vice President Kamala Harris, wrongly described the soon-to-be 47th president as a fascist during the campaign.
“Well, it’s like I’ve been warning people like, you got to chill out, you know, like the constant, you know, freak out. It’s not helpful,” he told ABC News “This Week” host John Karl.
“So, you know, pack a lunch, pace yourself, because he hasn’t even taken office yet.”
He then said he wants Trump to be a good president.
“I hope, I hope, because I’m not rooting against him,” the Keystone State senator said. “If you’re rooting against the president, you are rooting against the nation. And, and I’m not ever going to be where I want a president to fail.”
Fetterman, 55, has brandished a maverick streak among Democrats over the last year, including over his staunch support of Israel and his resistance at times to bash to Trump, 78, which has earned him some scorn from lefties in Congress.
During Sunday’s interview, he directed more praise on Trump, calling him a “singular political talent.”
He referenced Trump’s presence of mind to pump his fist and repeatedly shout “fight” after he was shot in the ear by a sniper over the summer during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I mean, that’s a political talent, it’s undeniable,” Fetterman said as he admonished some Dems for calling Trump a fascist.
“Because you put a lot of Democrats, especially in my state, that I know, and I happen to love people that are going to vote for Trump, and they are not fascists,” he said.
“And also fascism, that’s not a word that regular people, you know, use, you know? I think people are going to decide who is the candidate that’s going to protect and project, you know, my version of the American way of life, and that’s what happened.”
Fetterman also told Karl he believes billionaire Elon Musk’s full throttle support of Trump “did move the needle” in helping Trump recapture the White House this November.
“I really believe that it mattered,” he said.