Sen. John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, seems to be on the street to forgiving Donald Trump for the dangerous blood they as soon as had after visiting the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago along with his spouse, Gisele.
Final week, Fetterman grew to become the primary sitting congressional Democrat to announce his intention to satisfy with Trump since he was elected in November. And now, reporting from the Washington Examiner suggests the Democrat made fairly the impression.
“It was a totally fascinating meeting. He’s a fascinating man, and his wife is lovely. They were both up, and I couldn’t be more impressed,” Trump advised the outlet, noting that the trio spent roughly an hour collectively. “He’s a commonsense person. He’s not liberal or conservative. He’s just a commonsense person, which is beautiful.”
Whereas many elements of that assertion are eyebrow-raising, Trump’s suggestion that Fetterman will be uniquely nonpartisan is an odd one. In any case, Fetterman was a self-described progressive for years earlier than abandoning the title and taking positions extra aligned with conservatives.
As an illustration, Fetterman was the primary Senate Democrat to co-sponsor the anti-immigrant Laken Riley Act, which compels the federal authorities to detain undocumented immigrants charged with nonviolent crimes. He has additionally pledged to assist no less than two of Trump’s Cupboard appointees, together with Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state and Rep. Elise Stefanik for United Nations ambassador.
Some reporting means that Fetterman would possibly even again his onetime political foe, Mehmet Oz, to run the Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Providers. Fetterman and Oz went head-to-head within the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race, throughout which Trump endorsed the previous TV physician.
Whereas Trump didn’t go into specifics about his get-together with Fetterman, he did inform the Examiner that they mentioned “the fate of U.S. steel, support for Israel, shoring up the border, and the geopolitical benefits of acquiring Greenland.” Additionally they mentioned Trump’s oft-repeated risk to grab management of the Panama Canal, which Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has already rejected.
Fetterman’s workplace didn’t reply to Day by day Kos concerning his tackle the assembly with Trump.
Even with Fetterman’s pivot to the fitting, it’s onerous to see how he and Trump discovered any widespread floor on coverage issues. Perhaps that is what’s to be anticipated from Democrats following the 2024 election, or perhaps Fetterman performed good, holding out hope that Trump would cave and title him “Pope of Greenland.” (That, in fact, didn’t transpire.)
Both manner, Trump appears to be loving the truth that his onetime enemies, starting from tech moguls to Democrats, are already bending a knee to him.
“It’s been amazing, and there’s been cooperation within the Republicans and a lot of the Democrats,” he advised the Examiner. “I will say that Sen. Fetterman was very impressive to me, really impressive.”
The switch-up with Fetterman, specifically, is stunning contemplating that they used to hate one another. With out citing proof, Trump as soon as alleged that Fetterman used onerous medicine, reminiscent of cocaine and heroin, and “supports taxpayer-funded drug dens.”
And as not too long ago as November, Fetterman blasted Trump for selling election fraud-related conspiracies earlier than Election Day. Of the 2020 presidential election in Pennsylvania, Fetterman stated that President Joe Biden “wrecked [Trump’s] shit by 80,000 votes.”
Even when their relationship is on the mend, a few of Fetterman’s former staffers are disturbed by it, with one calling his pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago a “pick-me move.”
“I obviously hate it, but it’s also kind of hilarious and epic,” the nameless staffer advised Politico final week.
However sadly, Fetterman isn’t alone in his sudden flocking to Trump. Billionaires, celebrities, and Democrats have flooded to Mar-a-Lago or signaled that they’re ready to kiss the ring. So perhaps Trump’s one-time declaration that “EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND!!!” has a kernel of reality to it.
