Senator John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, slammed his fellow Democrats for criticizing President Joe Biden on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Thursday, saying, "You might as well just get your MAGA hat because you now are helping Trump with this."
The Context
November will likely see a rematch between Biden and Trump, the current frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Both Biden and Trump have received criticism within their own parties—Biden particularly getting heat from progressives for the United States response to the Israel-Hamas war.
Fetterman broke away from progressives in his party in an NBC News interview in December.
"I'm not a progressive," Fetterman said. "I just think I'm a Democrat that is very committed to choice and other things. But with Israel, I'm going to be on the right side of that. And immigration is something near and dear to me, and I think we do have to effectively address it, as well."
What We Know
Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough asked Fetterman: "As you go around Pennsylvania, as you hear for your constituents, what is the most important issue facing them, what do you hear the most from them as we move into this incredibly important election and what's the issue that you keep hearing about?"
"I think the most important issue is what do we want for this state and what do we want for this nation and what do we want [for] kinda a world order as well, too. And it's gonna be very competitive as well too," Fetterman responded. "And the president is gonna win here in Pennsylvania. And I've always believed whoever wins Pennsylvania is gonna be the next president as well too. And it's gonna be difficult and we all have to lean in on that."
Fetterman also mentioned how some Democrats have been publicly criticizing Biden, adding, "I don't understand why. I don't know what's in it for you to do that, whether you're just chasing clout or you wanna make it in the news or anything like that."
He continued: "But if you're not willing to just support the president now, and say these kinds of things, you might as well just get your MAGA hat because you now are helping Trump with this."
Newsweek reached out to the Biden campaign and Fetterman's office for comment via email.
The Views
A video circulated this weekend of Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan progressive Democrat, urging voters to withhold support for Biden in her state's primary election.
Standing outside the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Michigan, Tlaib told voters that it is important "to create a voting block, something that is a bullhorn to say enough is enough. We don't want a country that supports wars and bombs and destruction. We wanna support life. We wanna stand up for every single life killed in Gaza."
She added: "This is the way you can raise our voices. Don't make us even more invisible. Right now, we feel completely neglected and just unseen by our government. If you want us to be louder, then come here and vote uncommitted."
Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, has been a vocal critic of Biden's failure to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza since Israel launched its military operation in the region following Hamas' surprise attack on October 7.
To date, more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, according to the Associated Press, citing the Gaza Health Ministry. Meanwhile, 1,200 people in Israel were killed in Hamas' attack and 250 others were taken hostage. Over 100 hostages were released during a temporary ceasefire last year.
While the U.S. has remained loyal to Israel, Biden has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a second temporary ceasefire to get the hostages that Hamas still holds in Gaza back home. Meanwhile, Fetterman has shared pro-Israel views during the conflict.
The 81-year-old president has also been facing renewed concerns, including from Democrats, over his age and mental fitness after Department of Justice Special Counsel Robert Hur released a report characterizing Biden as a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
Trump, 77, has faced similar criticism, although on a smaller scale.
What's Next?
Despite facing criticism from Republicans and some of his own party, Biden has been winning on the campaign trail. Biden won the Democratic New Hampshire primary as a write-in candidate with 63.9 percent of the vote and South Carolina's Democratic primary with 96.2 percent of the vote.
The next Democratic primary is in Michigan on February 27.
Update 2/22/24, 10:56 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and to note that Newsweek reached out to Fetterman's office for comment.
Update 2/22/24, 11:41 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and to note that Newsweek reached out to the Biden campaign for comment.
Update 2/22/24, 11:52 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more
