Trump says John Fetterman would do better as a Republican, urges party switch

JOINT BASE ANDREWS: President Donald Trump on Saturday, October 10, urged Democratic Senator John Fetterman to switch parties and become a Republican, renewing speculation about the senator's political future ahead of the November midterm elections.

Speaking at Joint Base Andrews while returning from a rally in Tennessee, Trump said Fetterman would be better suited to the Republican Party. Fetterman has, however, repeatedly rejected the prospect of joining Republicans, even as disagreements with fellow Democrats over immigration, Israel and other issues have drawn attention to his political positions.

Trump urges John Fetterman to join the Republican Party

Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews that he would “love to see" Fetterman "as a Republican,” adding that the Democratic senator would do “better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat." Trump described Fetterman as "a great guy with magnificent parents" who is "smart" and has "got great common sense." 

Trump made the comments just weeks before the midterms, when Republicans faced a closely contested fight to retain control of the Senate. Democrats would need to gain four seats to secure a majority, potentially giving Fetterman a significant role if the chamber's balance shifts after the elections.

Fetterman's disagreements with Democrats fuel party-switch speculation

Fetterman was elected to the Senate in 2022 and initially emerged as a prominent Democratic figure. However, the Pennsylvania senator has increasingly broken with his party on several issues, including immigration policy and US support for Israel. He has also opposed Democratic efforts to curb Trump's use of military force in Iran and to restrict military aid to Israel.

The senator's relationship with Democrats drew further attention after he appeared in a video for a Republican midterm convention in September, praising Pennsylvania's Republican Senator Dave McCormick and criticizing what he described as extremes within his own party.

“I’m always going to stand with America,” Fetterman said in the video. “I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life.”

Fetterman reiterates his Democratic identity after 'lifelong Republican' remark

Despite the speculation, Fetterman has repeatedly denied that he intends to join the Republican Party. In an opinion piece published by The Washington Post in May, Fetterman described himself as a “terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats.”

At the Texas Tribune Festival in September, Fetterman also appeared to mistakenly identify himself as a Republican while answering an audience question about why he had not become an independent. “Because I’m a lifelong Republican,” Fetterman replied. CBS News political correspondent Major Garrett, who was interviewing him, then corrected him by saying, “Democrat.”

A switch by Fetterman could have implications for Senate control, depending on the election results. Previous party changes by senators, including Jim Jeffords' departure from the Republican Party in 2001 and Arlen Specter's move from the GOP to the Democrats in 2009, affected the chamber's balance of power.