President Donald Trump said Saturday he would welcome Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, into the Republican Party, praising the senator as a "great guy" with "great common sense."
Trump made the remarks after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, when a reporter asked whether he had discussed a party switch with Fetterman. "I'd love to see it. I think he's great," Trump said.
Trump suggested a switch could help Fetterman politically. "If you look at the polls, he does better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat," Trump said. He also noted that Fetterman might face difficulty securing the Democratic nomination.
Fetterman has increasingly broken with Senate Democrats on major policy questions. He has publicly disagreed with his party on Iran policy and immigration. Since entering the Senate in 2023, Fetterman has voted with Senate Democrats nearly 90 percent of the time, but that figure has dropped to just under 81 percent this session.
Fetterman has taken other steps that have fueled speculation about a potential switch. He has reportedly used Republican fundraising platforms to solicit campaign donations and maintains a close friendship with Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican. Last month, he appeared at the Republican Midterm Convention, recording a video to introduce Sen. Dave McCormick, a Pennsylvania Republican. At the Texas Tribune Festival, Fetterman mistakenly referred to himself as a lifelong Republican.
