OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:47 PM – Thursday, January 9, 2025
Pennsylvania Democrat Senator John Fetterman announced his plans to meet with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, making him the first Democrat senator to convene with Trump at his Florida estate.
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“President Trump invited me to meet, and I accepted. I’m the Senator for all Pennsylvanians – not just Democrats in Pennsylvania,” Fetterman (D-Pa.) stated. “I’ve been clear that no one is my gatekeeper. I will meet with and have a conversation with anyone if it helps me deliver for Pennsylvania and the nation.”
Fetterman is the first active Democrat senator to visit Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, since Trump won the 2024 election.
“I think that one, he’s the president, or he will be officially,” Fetterman continued. “And I think it’s pretty reasonable that if the president would like to have a conversation – or invite someone to have a conversation – to have it. And no one is my gatekeeper.”
Fetterman has continuously postured himself as a moderate, pro-Israel Democrat, even voicing support for some of Trump’s cabinet picks, such as Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for secretary of state, and Representative Sean Duffy for secretary of transportation.
“Some of these nominees, I’m going to vote for,” Fetterman stated. “I’m open to hear from everyone and I don’t know why that’s controversial and I’d like to remind everyone on the Democratic side, that’s how democracy works.”
The Pennsylvania Democrat has also not shied away from praising Trump, despite many members of his own party continuously labeling the incoming GOP president as a “fascist” and dictator.
“It’s undeniable, Trump. You know, he had the energy and almost a sense of fearlessness,” Fetterman explained. “After you survive an assassination, you literally were [almost] shot in your head, and had the presence of mind to respond, you know, ‘fight, fight, fight!’ I mean, that’s a political talent. It’s undeniable.”
Additionally, Fetterman has previously called on President Joe Biden to issue a pardon to Trump, characterizing his criminal charges as “bulls***.”
“The Trump hush money and Hunter Biden cases were both bulls***, and pardons are appropriate,” Fetterman continued, despite Biden’s pick, Merrick Garland, heading the DOJ. “Weaponizing the judiciary for blatant, partisan gain diminishes the collective faith in our institutions and sows further division.”
“I think that it’s undeniable that the case against Hunter Biden was really politically motivated, but I also think it’s true that the trial in New York for Trump was political as well,” Fetterman added. “I really think, collectively, that America’s confidence in these types of institutions have been damaged by these kinds of cases, and we cannot allow these types of institutions to be weaponized against our political opponents.”
The nature and timing of the conversation between Trump and Fetterman is currently unclear, including whether Fetterman plans on meeting prior to Trump’s January 20th inauguration.
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