Trump urges Democratic Senator John Fetterman to join Republicans

President Donald Trump encouraged Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman to leave the Democratic Party and become a Republican on October 10, AP reported. Trump made the comments to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland while returning to Washington from a rally in Tennessee. He said he would like to see Fetterman become a Republican and argued that the senator would do better in that party than among Democrats. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

Fetterman has repeatedly rejected the idea of joining the Republicans, according to the AP account carried by the Seattle Times and ABC News. In a May article in The Washington Post, he wrote that he would be a poor fit as a Republican because he still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats. A representative for the senator did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's remarks. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

First elected to the Senate in 2022, Fetterman has split with Democrats on matters including immigration and Israel, prompting speculation that he could switch parties. AP reported that his relations with other Democrats became more strained after he recorded a video for the Republican midterm convention in September praising fellow Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick, a Republican, and suggesting that his own party included extremists. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

The Seattle Times and ABC News versions of the AP report said Fetterman used the video to reject political extremes and socialism. They also reported that Trump raised the prospect of difficulty for Fetterman in securing the Democratic nomination for another Senate term. The appeal comes just weeks before midterm elections that could reshape congressional control, with the Republican Senate majority at risk, the report said. [ 2 , 3 ]