Few Democrats in recent memory have been as willing as Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) to speak out against the abhorrent and un-American views held by so many in the party.
Of course, he’s paid the political price as many Democrat leaders seem to be tacitly encouraging him to leave the party altogether.
While Fetterman has repeatedly indicated that he has no intention of allowing the party’s far-left wing to force him out, he’s also not letting those voices silence him, as Fox News recently reported:
“Like, for example, the mayor in Seattle. She’s an absolute socialist, if not more, how people [go] ‘Hey, I’m leaving’ and she’s like, ‘bye’ and just describe that kind of thing.”
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Later in the conversation:
Fetterman then moved on to target New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who recently proposed a “pied-à-terre” tax on luxury second homes owned by wealthy city residents.
“Then, of course, New York. That’s its own situation, too. And I thought [Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis had a great line saying, you know, ‘Mamdani is my favorite real estate agent now.’ And it’s driving people away. People can move, and they can just vote, you know, with their feet,” Fetterman said.
“That explains why Florida continues to flourish. But a lot of these states, like New York and other blue states, we’ve read that $2 trillion dollars have migrated out of these states too.”
He also warned that Democrats have moved so far into the extreme that they have begun to support communism, citing Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner as an example.
“I mean, in Maine, for example, Graham Platner, he’s an avowed communist. He described himself as a communist. Antifa, that’s not a slur from me. That’s not a GOP kind of hit. That’s his own words, how he described that,” Fetterman said.
Fetterman might not be making any friends within his own party, but many social media users are cheering on his effort to call out Democrat extremism:
— ChristianLynne1966 (@LynneLy974) May 12, 2026
Even some leftist commentators, like Van Jones, have had tough words for Democrats seeking to excommunicate Fetterman, who happens to vote almost in lockstep with party leaders:
Van Jones on Democrats not supporting John Fetterman being a "moderate"
“That should not be illegal in this party. My god you have to agree on 100% of 100% of the Berkeley California agenda to be a Democrat?”
“It just shows you how nutty things have gotten that someone who… pic.twitter.com/52YPAht2SA
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) May 6, 2026
Fetterman wasn’t done. This week, he also took Democrats to task for what he called an “anti-AI” agenda that would put America at a global disadvantage:
Democrat Sen. John Fetterman rips Democrats becoming “anti-AI” and for pushing an AI moratorium, calling it “lunacy” and a “China‑first” move.
Fetterman: “In the Democratic Party, you know, you know, something that's so important that's going to transform our world, AI. You… pic.twitter.com/4ldkE6dsJJ
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) May 14, 2026
As The Hill reported, Fetterman has opened up a bit about how it feels to be a politician without a party:
“I’d be a terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats,” he wrote in the op-ed about the notion of switching parties.
He has also been vocal about feeling “lonely” within his own party, particularly given his support for Israel and border security. The centrist Democrat called out colleagues who oppose the rapid development of AI and data centers, calling their opposition “lunacy.”
Fetterman has also pushed back on claims from several Democrats and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that Israel has committed a genocide that has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza. He labeled Greene as “crazy pants” and pushed back on the claim of genocide in 2025.
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Here’s the full interview with Reason:
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