Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has declared that he is “not a progressive” in an apparent attempt to change his image after backlash from the left over his stances on Israel’s war against Hamas and immigration reform.
“I’m not a progressive,” the Pennsylvania Democrat told NBC News in an interview published Friday. “I just think I’m a very committed Democrat about the election and other things. But with Israel, I will be on the right side. And immigration is something near and dear to me, and I think we have to address it effectively as well.”
Fetterman emerged as a leading supporter of the Jewish state following the brutal Hamas attack on October 7, during which terrorists killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped hundreds, taking them to Gaza, where many remain hostages.
His brazen support for Israel’s right to “eliminate Hamas terrorists who massacred innocent men, women and children” and his refusal to advocate for a ceasefire in the conflict has irritated the far left.
Fetterman argued that he was on “the right side” of history in supporting Israel. fake images
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters closed the street outside his Philadelphia office in October, demanding that Fetterman call a ceasefire as they paraded huge puppet similar to the senator.
The former mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, has also been heckled at events and was even confronted at a bar by an individual who asked him why he wouldn’t support a ceasefire.
Sixteen former Fetterman campaign staffers wrote an open letter to the senator in October calling his support for Israel “a heartbreaking betrayal.”
Fetterman also told NBC News that while he considers himself pro-immigration, policies that could stem the flow of migrants across the southern border into the United States should not be ruled out.
Fetterman has faced criticism from the left for refusing to support a ceasefire in Gaza. REUTERS
“It’s a reasonable conversation, until someone can say there’s an explanation for what we can do when there are 270,000 people at the border, not including those of course we don’t know,” he said. “To put that into reference, that’s essentially the size of Pittsburgh, the second-largest city in Pennsylvania.”
Senate Republicans are currently pushing to combine aid to Israel and Ukraine with reforms to U.S. immigration laws, a move Fetterman described as “not ideal,” but it is a conversation “we should have.”
“Progressives better do that because we can’t abandon Israel; We cannot betray them and we cannot sell out to Ukraine, and we have to comply with this,” Fetterman said. “I would just very much like to reach an agreement to deliver this critical aid.”
The former mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, has also been heckled at events and was even confronted at a bar by an individual who asked him why he wouldn’t support a ceasefire. fake images
Fetterman’s rejection of the progressive label contrasts with his frequent use of the term to describe himself on social media and in various election campaigns over the years.
“Dude, I’m a progressive Democrat.” Fetterman said in a 2020 tweet directed at former Republican Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
In 2016, he shared a cropped image of himself and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) with a caption describing the couple as “progressive champions.”
“If I am lucky enough to be elected, I will be able to be a solid progressive support for [Pennsylvania], for Governor Wolf. Provides a state-level platform to advocate for the issues I care about: a living wage, marijuana legalization, immigration, and community policing,” he tweeted in 2017, during his campaign for lieutenant governor.
Progressives fumed on social media following Fetterman’s statement.
“However, he was ‘progressive’ when he asked for money and votes,” former Democratic Ohio state senator Nina Turner said in a tweet.
Former Pennsylvania Democratic congressional candidate Alexandra Hunt called it “disgusting” that Fetterman is speaking tough about immigration when his wife is also an immigrant.
“Fetterman has never been a progressive, but supporting talks for stricter immigration laws when he is married to an incredible woman who was once an illegal immigrant and who kept his campaign alive while he recovered from a stroke is truly disgusting,” he tweeted Hunt.
Fetterman’s office did not respond to the Post’s request for comment.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn