John Fetterman makes surprise video appearance at GOP convention, and pledged to work with Trump: ‘Always ​going to stand with America’

Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, showed up on video Wednesday at the Republican midterm convention hosted by President Donald Trump in Dallas, according to Reuters. Dressed in his familiar hoodie and filmed in front of a steel mill, he introduced fellow Pennsylvanian Sen. Dave McCormick, a Republican.

“Yes, I’m Senator John Fetterman, Pennsylvania. Yes, I’m a Democrat. Why am I here talking to you today? Because, well, I’m a common-sense Democrat,” Fetterman said. He continued, “I’m always going to stand with America. I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life.” He also said he would work with Trump to protect “the steel way of life” in western Pennsylvania.

Republicans gathered in Dallas for the two-day meeting, which some have called the “Trumpapalooza.” Party officials have said they want the event to boost their odds of holding the Senate and House in the November midterms. The GOP currently controls the Senate 53-47 and has grown more exposed to possible Democratic pickups in several swing states, independent political analysts told Reuters.

Fetterman says he will remain a Democrat after convention appearance

Fetterman has pushed back against talk that he might leave the Democrats. He told Fox News in a recent interview, “I’m not going to be a Republican, but I’m going to be a Democrat that’s going to have a conversation with whoever is playing it straight.”

Reuters said Fetterman has split more often with other Democrats on Israel, the war with Iran, and immigration. His independent streak has drawn strong reactions, such as when he claimed contempt for Israel equates to opposing the United States. The 57-year-old first-term senator has been called unpredictable.

Observers have compared his party breaks to those of former Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. Both were Democratic centrists who later became independents and left the Senate after repeatedly clashing with party leaders in the early years of President Joe Biden’s term.

Unlike those two, Fetterman has not used his vote to extract deals from Democratic leaders or to rewrite bills, Reuters reported. He has said he simply votes for what he believes is right.

Fetterman stands out for his height and for wearing hoodies and gym shorts on the Senate floor. This independent streak has sometimes put him at odds with his own party, as when he slammed back at a Wall Street Journal exposé depicting him as apathetic.  That blue-collar look helped him win his 2022 race. It has also put him at odds with the left wing of the Democratic Party.

He told Fox News that growing activism inside the Democratic Party amounted to “an orgy of socialism.” Tension with fellow Democrats has risen further after a Wall Street Journal story in which former aides and lawmakers said he spent more energy courting conservative media figures than handling Senate duties. The newspaper said Fetterman did not answer its repeated requests for comment. Republican officials have said they would take Fetterman if he ever switched parties.