Pennsylvania Democrat Senator John Fetterman ripped the legacy media and strongly defended the Trump administration over its actions vis-à-vis Venezuela, including strikes on suspected narco-terrorist boats and seizing an oil tanker used by Nicolás Maduro&#8217;s regime.
Last week, the United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, targeting Venezuela’s state-owned oil industry and primary source of funding. Since September, the U.S. military has also knocked out over 20 boats and submarines in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean in strikes targeting narco-terrorists.
NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?time_continue=218&amp;v=7jyKTMeZDQg&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.dailywire.com%2F&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE">asked</a> Fetterman about a briefing he had attended about the situation, saying, “What did you learn, Senator, that gave you any comfort that we’re not heading into some kind of extended military exercise around Venezuela or in Venezuela?&#8221;
“I thought it was pretty comprehensive,” Fetterman replied. He then criticized the media for attacking the Trump administration on the issue.
&#8220;And this idea, some things out in the media, it’s kind of putting out this — that the military’s just picking off any boat that comes across. That’s just not true,&#8221; Fetterman said. &#8220;I mean, there’s extensive intelligence and they know exactly who’s on that boat and they know what’s actually on that boat right now. And it’s quite frequently they decline to take it into (a) move on those things. When they move on those kinetic kinds of strikes, you know, they have absolute confidence who’s on it and what’s on it, and that’s exactly what it’s about. They are not just going around randomly shooting boats and those things. That’s just not the fact.”
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Cuomo brought up President Donald Trump’s statement in which he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-orders-complete-blockade-of-sanctioned-oil-tankers-moving-in-and-out-of-venezuela?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump+Orders+%E2%80%98Complete+Blockade%E2%80%99+Of+Sanctioned+Oil+Tankers+Moving+In+And+Out+Of+Venezuela">ordered</a> a &#8220;complete blockade&#8221; of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela and accused the Maduro regime of stealing oil and land.
“What did they steal?” Cuomo asked Fetterman.
“Iran is involved on that and Russia is involved on that and China as well, too,” the senator responded. “That’s sanctioned oil right now &#8230; and those are the kinds of funds that support regimes like Iran’s. It’s not a plan like a land war and invade Venezuela, but seizing those kinds of oil tankers &#8230; it’s undeniable that that’s gonna support Iran &#8230; those are the kinds of fund that are going to be used for illicit things like terrorism. So for me, it makes a lot of sense, at least what I’ve seen.”
Tim Pearce contributed to this article.

Sen. John Fetterman Visits “Jesse Watters Primetime”

Fetterman Blasts Media, Defends Trump’s Narco-Terror Strikes And Oil Tanker Seizure

Iran

John Fetterman

Oil and Gas

Trump Administration

Venezuela

Left-wing activists in Pennsylvania have threatened to launch a primary campaign against Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) — but he&#8217;s just laughing it off, saying that they&#8217;ll make him look more like the reasonable person he&#8217;s always claimed to be.
Fetterman reacted to the news on Friday&#8217;s Fox News broadcast of &#8220;The Story&#8221; with host Martha MacCallum, saying he did not expect the group  — Working Families for Pennsylvania — to get much traction against him.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: John Fetterman *TAUNTS* left-wing party over primary threat🤣
&#8220;Ooh, ooh, oh, I hope, promise. I hope so — because I guarantee whoever they put up, they&#8217;re going to make me look the reasonable guy that&#8217;s going to work with both sides together and find a way for… <a href="https://t.co/McL2okE1RW">https://t.co/McL2okE1RW</a> <a href="https://t.co/jnufWD4QQ7">pic.twitter.com/jnufWD4QQ7</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1991971728906502295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The left-wing group had released a statement a few days earlier, promising action: &#8220;We&#8217;re primarying John Fetterman. Last week, Fetterman once again sold out working Pennsylvanians. He was the deciding vote for a Republican budget bill that will strip healthcare from over 400,000 Pennsylvanians. We deserve real working class leadership in the U.S. Senate.&#8221;
Fetterman struggled to contain his mirth.
&#8220;Ooh, ooh, oh, I hope, promise. I hope so — because I guarantee whoever they put up, they&#8217;re going to make me look the reasonable guy that&#8217;s going to work with both sides together and find a way for Pennsylvania,&#8221; he said, laughing at the idea.
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Fetterman went on to defend his vote to end the recent government shutdown — the longest in American history — saying that he would not apologize for voting to restore SNAP benefits (food stamps) to the more than 40 million families who relied on them, nor would he apologize for voting to restore pay for the United States military and the Capitol Police.
&#8220;If they want to primary me &#8230; I&#8217;ve been on the side of common sense and I&#8217;m always going to put our country over party, and I think most people now realize that shutting our government down was wrong,&#8221; he concluded.

Left-Wing Activists Threaten To Primary John Fetterman. He Just Laughs.

Congress

Pennsylvania

Politics

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) said on Saturday evening that he&#8217;s made a &#8220;full recovery&#8221; after taking a nasty fall at his home in Braddock, Pennsylvania, this past week.
&#8220;[Twenty] stitches later and a full recovery, I’m back home with [Gisele Fetterman] and the kids,&#8221; the Democrat posted to X, captioning a photo of himself. &#8220;I’m overwhelmed + profoundly grateful for all the well-wishes. Truly.&#8221; 
&#8220;Grateful for the [University of Pittsburgh Medical Center] for the incredible medical care that put me back together,&#8221; he added. &#8220;THANK YOU SO MUCH. See you back in DC.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
20 stitches later and a full recovery, I’m back home with <a href="https://twitter.com/giselefetterman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@giselefetterman</a> and the kids.
I’m overwhelmed + profoundly grateful for all the well-wishes.
Truly.
Grateful for <a href="https://twitter.com/UPMC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UPMC</a> for the incredible medical care that put me back together.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
See you back in DC. <a href="https://t.co/j81LXZGLBx">pic.twitter.com/j81LXZGLBx</a>
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1989784336170684880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
Fetterman’s team announced Thursday that the senator suffered a “ventricular fibrillation flare-up&#8221; and subsequently fell as he was light-headed, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/conservatives-rally-around-fetterman-after-fall-lefties-cant-get-the-knives-out-fast-enough?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Conservatives+Rally+Around+Fetterman+After+Fall%2C+Lefties+Can’t+Get+The+Knives+Out+Fast+Enough">The Daily Wire</a> reported. He sustained minor injuries to his face, as Fetterman&#8217;s attached photo on Saturday showcased.
At the time, Fetterman quipped, “If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!”
Conservatives rallied around Fetterman when they heard of his fall, but the tone from leftists on X-alternative Bluesky was far different. As highlighted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/conservatives-rally-around-fetterman-after-fall-lefties-cant-get-the-knives-out-fast-enough?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Conservatives+Rally+Around+Fetterman+After+Fall%2C+Lefties+Can%E2%80%99t+Get+The+Knives+Out+Fast+Enough">The Daily Wire</a>, leftists mocked Fetterman for falling and complained that he lived.
Just before his fall, Fetterman said on CNN airwaves that the most vicious attacks aimed at him have not come from conservatives, but rather those on the Left. The Democrat has strayed from his party on numerous occasions, like supporting the reopening of the government and giving nuanced takes on the Israel and Gaza conflict.
“I asked my digital team, I said, ‘We’re on all the platforms, you know, what’s kind of the harshest? What’s kind of the most personal?” Fetterman recalled. “And the answer was immediate. They said, ‘Oh, Bluesky. It’s Bluesky.'&#8221;
“And the difference is the Right would say really rough things and names, some names I won’t repeat on TV,” he continued. “But on the Left, it was like, they want me to die, or that, ‘We’re cheering for your next stroke’ or, that’s terrible that depression — ‘Why couldn’t the depression won?’ And, ‘I hope your kids find you.’&#8221;
“I remember one that they claimed, ‘Oh, the doctor let us down,’ and ‘Why did they have to save his life?&#8217;” Fetterman added. “I mean, just really — I just can’t imagine people are wishing, ‘I wish he dies,’ or ‘I want him to die,’ you know, literally cheering for a stroke. And I don’t know &#8230; the kind of a place where that comes from.”
“That’s much different from calling me a name,” he explained. “And that’s really been consistent in that community online.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: John Fetterman *STUNS* CNN&#8217;s Dana Bash by telling her how Left crueler than Right🚨
FETTERMAN: &#8220;The Right would say really rough things and names &#8230; but on the Left, it was like they want me to die or that &#8216;We&#8217;re cheering for your next stroke&#8217; &#8230; they even have a gif… <a href="https://t.co/iMRyVTssgs">pic.twitter.com/iMRyVTssgs</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1988670736924336374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
Virginia Kruta contributed to this report 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/conservatives-rally-around-fetterman-after-fall-lefties-cant-get-the-knives-out-fast-enough?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Conservatives+Rally+Around+Fetterman+After+Fall%2C+Lefties+Can’t+Get+The+Knives+Out+Fast+Enough">Conservatives Rally Around Fetterman After Fall, Lefties Can’t Get The Knives Out Fast Enough</a>

John Fetterman Shares Photo, Medical Update After Fall Lands Him In Hospital

Health

U.S. Senate

When the news broke on Thursday that Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) had suffered a fall in his home town of Braddock, Pennsylvania, the response on social media was immediate: conservatives flooded the platform with well wishes for the Democratic senator, and the lefties on BlueSky mocked him and complained that he&#8217;d lived.
Fetterman&#8217;s team announced that he&#8217;d simply suffered a &#8220;ventricular fibrillation flare-up,&#8221; and then fell because he&#8217;d felt light-headed. He sustained minor injuries to his face and is expected to recover. Fetterman himself seemed to be in good spirits, quipping, &#8220;If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!&#8221;
Conservative commentator Steve Guest shared a screenshot showing a few of the posts from BlueSky responding to the news — and they ranged from simply mocking him to wishing he&#8217;d been unable to get up again.
&#8220;Blue Sky is an absolute cesspool right now in the wake of the news about John Fetterman&#8217;s fall,&#8221; he posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Blue Sky is an absolute cesspool right now in the wake of the news about John Fetterman&#8217;s fall. <a href="https://t.co/fNKhvXEGuQ">pic.twitter.com/fNKhvXEGuQ</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1989041566275760554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Tragically, he&#8217;s expected to live,&#8221; one post read, and another said, &#8220;Karma is a bitch, ain&#8217;t it, Fetterman? Looks like he&#8217;s not getting enough oxygen to his brain, I could have told you that &#8230;&#8221;
Commenting on a headline about the injuries to Fetterman&#8217;s face, another asked, &#8220;How the f*** could anyone tell?&#8221;
&#8220;Damn, I hope the pavement is ok,&#8221; another posted.
Meanwhile, Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham offered well wishes via X. &#8220;Wishing Sen. Fetterman a full and speedy recovery. Health scares are no joke. Glad he’s doing well and under care,&#8221; she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Wishing Sen. Fetterman a full and speedy recovery. Health scares are no joke. Glad he’s doing well and under care. <a href="https://t.co/E8ODdn7vUm">pic.twitter.com/E8ODdn7vUm</a>
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) <a href="https://twitter.com/IngrahamAngle/status/1989055505390809113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I reached out to Senator Fetterman and Dina has spoken to Gisele. John is a tough Pittsburgher and is already on the mend. We are thinking of him, Gisele, and their entire family — looking forward to seeing my good friend in the coming days,&#8221; Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I reached out to Senator Fetterman and Dina has spoken to Gisele. John is a tough Pittsburgher and is already on the mend. We are thinking of him, Gisele, and their entire family — looking forward to seeing my good friend in the coming days.
— Senator Dave McCormick (@SenMcCormickPA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenMcCormickPA/status/1989068482194076112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senator Lindsey Graham offered his thoughts as well, adding, &#8220;Like so many who know and appreciate Senator Fetterman, I’m wishing him a speedy and full recovery. Praying for John and his wonderful family.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Like so many who know and appreciate Senator Fetterman, I’m wishing him a speedy and full recovery.
Praying for John and his wonderful family. <a href="https://t.co/iuSsCwQakB">https://t.co/iuSsCwQakB</a>
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1989092534094819786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The decidedly meaner comments from the Left only served to back up what Fetterman said a day earlier during an interview with CNN&#8217;s Dana Bash, when he explained just how much more vicious the attacks from the Left had been compared to the attacks from the Right.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: John Fetterman *STUNS* CNN&#8217;s Dana Bash by telling her how Left crueler than Right🚨
FETTERMAN: &#8220;The Right would say really rough things and names &#8230; but on the Left, it was like they want me to die or that &#8216;We&#8217;re cheering for your next stroke&#8217; &#8230; they even have a gif… <a href="https://t.co/iMRyVTssgs">pic.twitter.com/iMRyVTssgs</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1988670736924336374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The Right would say really rough things and names,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;But on the Left, it was like they want me to die or that &#8216;We&#8217;re cheering for your next stroke.'&#8221;

Sen. John Fetterman

Conservatives Rally Around Fetterman After Fall, Lefties Can’t Get The Knives Out Fast Enough

Conservatives Rally Around Fetterman After Fall, Lefties Can't Get The Knives Out Fast Enough

Democrats

Republicans

Social Media

Journalist Katie Couric tried her best to get Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) to say negative things about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, but the Pennsylvania senator never took the bait and kept pushing back.
Couric began by asking Fetterman if he thought the various ways the Turning Point founder was honored were too much because of his beliefs. 
“Do you think that flags should have been flown at half-staff? Do you think his body should have been flown on Air Force Two? Do you think he should have posthumously been given the Presidential Medal of Freedom?” Couric asked during a podcast interview with the senator. “I think some people felt that that was perhaps over the top in terms of mourning someone like Charlie Kirk. How did you feel about that?”
“I’d say that that was his choice and his prerogative, and that was really entirely up to him,” Fetterman replied.
Couric tried again, asking the senator if he had any “issues” with Kirk’s “rhetoric.” Fetterman said that though he didn&#8217;t agree with Kirk on most issues, he also didn’t follow what he was saying very closely.
“I’m sure you learned about them after his death, though,” Couric said.
“No, I haven’t done a deep dive on it,” Fetterman responded, going on to say that political violence was always “unacceptable” and that the video of Kirk’s death was “appalling.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Senator John Fetterman on Government Shutdown, Meeting Trump, &amp; Surviving Depression" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bibqRvh4YuQ?start=2614&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“And engaging in a debate and views I strongly disagree on, that’s part of the American democracy. And for me, that would never justify what’s happened,” he went on. “And I just chose not to take the opportunity to argue his views after children lost [their] father in the most violent, public way.”
“We have to disagree in better ways … we have to turn the temperature down,” Fetterman added.
“I think some people might say Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric was extreme,” Couric insisted. “You know, I think that’s the conversation that happened. People condemned political violence, but they also felt a great deal of discomfort with his language, suggesting that these kinds of words lead to violence. I don’t know. I’m just kind of sharing my observations as I saw the conversations unfold.”
Fetterman pushed back, asserting that nothing Kirk said meant he deserved to be assassinated.
“Yeah, I agree. I mean, I think we agree that we probably didn’t agree with much of what he said. And I’m sure we both agree that you shouldn’t shoot people and you shouldn’t execute them in public,” Fetterman replied. “And I think two things must be true: that free speech … I’m an absolute free speech guy and you have the right to say these things. And you definitely also have the right not to get shot by sharing your views.”
This isn’t the first time Fetterman displayed more common sense than most mainstream Democrats. The senator said on “Jesse Watters Primetime” earlier this month that he doesn’t agree with extreme labels.
“I’m not gonna call you a fascist or a Nazi. I’m not gonna compare anyone to like, Hitler or anything,” he <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6384479522112">said</a> at the time. “That’s wrong. And if you resort to that thing, you’ve lost the plot.”
During an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-daily-wire-sits-down-with-john-fetterman-who-doesnt-hear-from-democrats-anymore?author=Tim+Rice&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=The+Daily+Wire+Sits+Down+With+John+Fetterman%2C+Who+Doesn%E2%80%99t+Hear+From+Democrats+Anymore">exclusive interview</a> with The Daily Wire last week, the senator said Democrats don’t even call him anymore because he refuses to blindly follow mainstream party positions on topics like Israel, border control, and the government shutdown.

Couric and Fetterman

Katie Couric Fails To Make John Fetterman Denounce Charlie Kirk

Katie Couric Tries, And Fails, To Make John Fetterman Denounce Charlie Kirk

Charlie Kirk

Katie Couric

Senator John Fetterman suffered a fall Thursday morning and is currently under observation in the hospital.
The Pennsylvania Democrat fell near his home in Braddock and he was transported to a Pittsburgh hospital, his spokesman <a href="https://x.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1989026864862507493?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote on X</a>.
“Upon evaluation, it was established he had a ventricular fibrillation flare-up that led to Senator Fetterman feeling light-headed, falling to the ground and hitting his face with minor injuries,” the post said.
Ventricular fibrillation is a type of irregular heart rhythm, according to the <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ventricular-fibrillation/symptoms-causes/syc-20364523" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mayo Clinic</a>.
The spokesperson confirmed he is “doing well” and decided to stay so doctors can “fine-tune his medication regimen.”
Fetterman has a history of heart-related health issues. He was reportedly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pennsylvania-democrat-john-fetterman-to-end-absence-from-campaign-trail-two-months-after-stroke" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2017</a> and suffered a near-fatal <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/04/john-fetterman-ignored-heart-condition-stroke" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stroke</a> in 2022.
In a lighthearted statement following the incident, Fetterman said in the statement: &#8220;If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!&#8221;
“Senator Fetterman is grateful for the EMTs, doctors, and nurses who are providing his care,” the spokesperson said.
Fetterman traveled back to Pennsylvania this week after the Senate passed the resolution to reopen the government. Fetterman was one of the few Democrats who sided with Republicans, voting with them 15 times to reopen the government.
The Daily Wire’s D.C. Bureau Chief Tim Rice interviewed Fetterman on November 3. The senator discussed his opposition to the government shutdown, the Democrat Party&#8217;s extremism problem, and why he no longer gets invited to appear on MSNBC. You can read the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-daily-wire-sits-down-with-john-fetterman-who-doesnt-hear-from-democrats-anymore" target="_blank" rel="noopener">full story here</a>.

John Fetterman Hospitalized After Cardiac Incident And Fall

Senate

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) drew a shocked response from CNN anchor Dana Bash when he told her that the most vicious attacks aimed at him have not come from conservatives, but rather from those on the Left.
Fetterman sat down with Bash to discuss his new memoir, &#8220;Unfettered,&#8221; and she explained that she&#8217;d been struck by a claim he made in the book — namely that Democrats were consistently more cruel in their attacks than Republicans were.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: John Fetterman *STUNS* CNN&#8217;s Dana Bash by telling her how Left crueler than Right🚨
FETTERMAN: &#8220;The Right would say really rough things and names &#8230; but on the Left, it was like they want me to die or that &#8216;We&#8217;re cheering for your next stroke&#8217; &#8230; they even have a gif… <a href="https://t.co/iMRyVTssgs">pic.twitter.com/iMRyVTssgs</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1988670736924336374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;You said, quote, &#8216;I&#8217;ve drunk deeply of the venom of both the Left and the Right. And as a connoisseur, I can confirm that the most poisonous, the bitterest, is from the far Left,'&#8221; Bash read from the book. &#8220;That is pretty remarkable to hear you say that as an elected Democrat. Why?&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s just been my personal experience on this thing,&#8221; said Fetterman, who has repeatedly bucked the far Left in his party on major issues such as the war between Israel and Gaza and the recent battle to reopen the federal government.
&#8220;I asked my digital team, I said, ‘We’re on all the platforms, you know, what’s kind of the harshest? What’s kind of the most personal?&#8221; Fetterman asked. &#8220;And the answer was immediate. They said, ‘Oh, Bluesky. It’s Bluesky.&#8221;
&#8220;And the difference is the Right would say really rough things and names, some names I won’t repeat on TV,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;But on the Left, it was like, they want me to die, or that ‘We’re cheering for your next stroke’ or that&#8217;s terrible that depression — &#8216;Why couldn’t the depression won?&#8217; And &#8216;I hope your kids find you.&#8217; And they even have a graphic, like a gif where they have a stroke in your head —&#8221;
&#8220;Oh my gosh!&#8221; Bash exclaimed, clearly shocked.
&#8220;And they said that — I remember one that they claimed, &#8216;oh, the doctor let us down,&#8217; and &#8216;why did they have to save his life?'&#8221; Fetterman added. &#8220;I mean, just really — I just can&#8217;t imagine people are wishing, &#8216;I wish he dies,&#8217; or &#8216;I want him to die,&#8217; you know, literally cheering for a stroke. And I don&#8217;t know what the kind of a place where that comes from.&#8221;
&#8220;That&#8217;s much different from calling me a name,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;And that&#8217;s really been consistent in that community online.&#8221;
Just a few days earlier, HBO host and comedian Bill Maher was commenting on the exact same issue with Cheryl Hines, wife of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: Bill Maher, Cheryl Hines *RAIL AGAINST* Democrats over &#8220;HOW MEAN&#8221; they are🚨
HINES: “The Republicans have been very kind to me from the beginning. Even &#8230; when Bobby was running as a Democrat, they weren’t mean. And they never have been. And I can’t say that for the… <a href="https://t.co/9DiWjCh8rN">pic.twitter.com/9DiWjCh8rN</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1987904203360989235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The Republicans have been very kind to me from the beginning,&#8221; Hines remarked, saying that even when her husband had run as a Democrat, Republicans had not been &#8220;mean&#8221; to them. &#8220;They never have been. And I can’t say that for the Democrats.&#8221;
&#8220;I agree. And it’s sad because it’s not the Democrats we grew up with,&#8221; Maher replied, adding, &#8220;I’m not going to pretend I don’t notice how different they are. How mean they’ve become.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-daily-wire-sits-down-with-john-fetterman-who-doesnt-hear-from-democrats-anymore">The Daily Wire Sits Down With John Fetterman, Who Doesn’t Hear From Democrats Anymore</a>

Fetterman Leaves Dana Bash Speechless As He Blows Up ‘Mean’ Democrats

Dana Bash

Media

Sunny Hostin spent part of Tuesday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;The View&#8221; scolding Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) for voting with Republicans to bring the longest government shutdown in history to an end — and he pushed right back.
Hostin&#8217;s cohosts — most of whom have been pushing for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer&#8217;s (D-NY) ouster since he &#8220;caved&#8221; and voted to avert the last potential government shutdown in March — began by pressing Fetterman on whether or not he believed Schumer was still the right person to lead the Senate under the current circumstances.
WATCH:
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Sunny Hostin attacks Fetterman over his vote to end the shutdown and openly says Dems should bring GUNS to confront Republicans:
&#8220;Senator Bernie Sanders said the vote was a horrific mistake. Governor Gavin Newsom called it pathetic and a surrender. Poll after poll found… <a href="https://t.co/nqI0soObtR">pic.twitter.com/nqI0soObtR</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1988283718583075293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Senator Bernie Sanders said the vote was a horrific mistake. Governor Gavin Newsom called it pathetic and a surrender. Poll after poll found Americans on both sides of the aisle blaming Republicans,&#8221; Hostin said. &#8220;Even Marjorie Taylor Greene blamed the GOP. As you mentioned, Democrats had big wins last week, so you had momentum. Why give in now? Why bring a butter knife to a gun fight?!&#8221;
Hostin went on to argue that Fetterman was taking a major risk in trusting Republicans to follow through on promises to hold a vote on the Affordable Care Act subsidies and deliver back pay to furloughed federal workers, saying, &#8220;I believe you are wrong!&#8221;
&#8220;Well, first of all, MTG is quite literally the last person in America that I’m going to take advice [from] or to get their kinds of leadership and values from,&#8221; Fetterman shot back.
He went on to note that he had voted to keep the government open from the start, largely because he knew how a shutdown would impact people in his home state.
&#8220;I promise you, this isn’t a political game. It is viewed [that way] by many of us, but the reality is, 42 million Americans now [are] not sure where their next meal is going to come from because we vote like that. Or people that haven’t been paid for five weeks now and that kinds of chaos. Those kinds of workers have to borrow more than half a billion dollars from their credit union just to pay the bills,&#8221; he said.

The View’s “Behind The Table” Podcast

Sunny Hostin Scolds John Fetterman For Voting In Favor Of Not Starving His Constituents

Sunny Hostin

The View

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Tuesday that “mass chaos” and potential airspace shutdowns will affect air travelers if the government shutdown continues into next week, with shortages of air traffic controllers and TSA agents reaching a critical level.
“If you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos, you will see mass flight delays,” Duffy told reporters at a Tuesday news conference held by Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick (R) and Sen. John Fetterman (D), one of only three Democrats who have repeatedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-daily-wire-sits-down-with-john-fetterman-who-doesnt-hear-from-democrats-anymore">voted</a> to end the shutdown.
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BREAKING: The Department of Transportation might be forced to shut down airspace in certain parts of the country if the government shutdown continues into next week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Tuesday.
Read more: <a href="https://t.co/8OnWWD1VUl">https://t.co/8OnWWD1VUl</a> <a href="https://t.co/dHrYJVreDQ">pic.twitter.com/dHrYJVreDQ</a>
— ABC News (@ABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1985763806228988307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have the air traffic controllers.”
Nearly 50% of major air traffic control facilities across the country already face critical staffing shortages as the shutdown extends into its 35th day, with approximately 13,000 controllers currently required to work without paychecks during the shutdown.
The Federal Aviation Administration <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/delays-safety-concerns-shortages-air-traffic-controllers/story?id=127055961">reported</a> on Friday that 80% of aviation staff in the New York area had called out, a problem Duffy only expects to worsen as the shutdown continues.
“If this shutdown doesn’t end now, air traffic controllers will receive another $0 paycheck,” Duffy wrote Monday on X. “Many controllers are not coming to work because they have to find a job that WILL pay them so they can survive.”
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Yesterday saw another horrible record set: 84% of delays were due to staff shortages.
If this shutdown doesn’t end now, air traffic controllers will receive another $0 paycheck.
Many controllers are not coming to work because they have to find a job that WILL pay them so they… <a href="https://t.co/PHK4gwaPzt">pic.twitter.com/PHK4gwaPzt</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1985420348687516025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Delays and disruptions have already <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/07/flight-delays-shutdown-air-traffic-control-staffing-issues">impacted</a> airports in the Los Angeles area, Newark, and Denver over the past month, with Duffy stating that staffing shortages were the cause of 84% of the delays over the weekend.
The staffing shortages have led to many controllers working overtime or covering roles that other controllers would otherwise fill, in addition to their own.
“There is a level of risk that gets injected into the system when we have a controller that’s doing two jobs instead of one,” Duffy warned on Saturday amid a ground stop that was in effect at Newark Liberty International Airport due to staffing issues. “We will delay, we will cancel any kind of flight across the national airspace to make sure people are safe.”
The shutdown shows no sign of resolution in the near future, as nearly every Senate Democrat has <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/11/04/us-news/trump-admin-may-be-forced-to-close-parts-of-us-airspace-if-shutdown-lasts-into-next-week-duffy-says/">voted</a> 14 times against a stopgap measure that would fund the government until November 21, using it as leverage to force concessions from Republicans to extend Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of this year.
The Obamacare tax credits were expanded under former President Joe Biden during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the New York Post.
In an interview with The Daily Wire on Monday, Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman said he didn’t buy his party’s justification for the shutdown.
“I think shutting our government down simply because we have to ‘fight,’ or because that’s part of this resistance, I don’t agree with it,” the senator said. “And I think we’re gonna hurt the kinds of people who are at the center of our party.”

CrowdedAirport

‘We Just Cannot Manage’: Duffy Warns Shutdown Will Force Airspace Closures

Air Travel

Department of Transportation

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Government Shutdown

Sean Duffy

WASHINGTON—John Fetterman doesn’t know what his fellow Democrats are thinking.
That, more or less, sums up what the Pennsylvania Democrat had to say to The Daily Wire during a wide-ranging Monday interview in his Senate office.
Seated in front of a fireplace festooned with pennants from Pennsylvania colleges, across from a framed “Don’t Be A Jagoff” poster, Fetterman held forth on the government shutdown, foreign policy, and the strange convergence of issues that have made him one of the Upper Chamber’s most surprising bipartisan voices.
It’s not just that Fetterman doesn’t understand some of the positions his colleagues have taken — though, to be sure, he doesn’t — but that he literally doesn’t know what they’re thinking. And how could he? They won’t talk to him.
“Not a single Democrat reached out to me,” Fetterman said about the lack of response to his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fetterman-to-democrats-own-the-shutdown-and-reopen-government-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sunday appearance</a> on CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper, during which he said that Democrats “need to own the shutdown.”
Fetterman suspects he hasn’t heard much from Democrats because they realize he’s “pretty committed” to what he says is a “pretty reasonable” view: that lawmakers should never hold the government hostage to achieve their political ends.
Still, as Congress barrels through the record for the longest-ever government shutdown, you would think Chuck Schumer might reach out to the member of his caucus who not only voted with Republicans to reopen the government 15 times, but has become an increasingly-vocal crusader against his party’s position.
So, has the Gentleman from Pennsylvania heard from the Senate Minority Leader?
“I haven’t,” Fetterman says.
Such is life for the self-proclaimed “regular Democrat,” whose refusal to toe the party line has made him a bit of a loner on his side of the aisle.
“I mean, honestly, I’m on The Daily Wire having this conversation,” Fetterman says with just a hint of incredulity. “I’m not having this conversation on MSNBC because they haven’t — I’d be happy to have this conversation there.”
The senator doesn’t complete his thought, but later on he says it would be “great” if “MSNBC decides to have me back on.” The implication is clear: when he started siding with Republicans, 30 Rock stopped calling.
Still, Fetterman has no interest in becoming the type of &#8220;Confirmed Bipartisan Senator,&#8221; bucking his party and making grand pronouncements about the need to cross the aisle. He’s quick to dismiss the idea that he’s some kind of Democratic Party gadfly, and brushes off comparisons to similar senators, noting that both Joe Manchin and Mitt Romney weren’t trying to keep their parties honest so much as they were trying to survive in hostile electoral environments.
So, no, John Fetterman has no intention of ditching the donkeys, not to go independent, and certainly not to join the other side.
“I’d be a pretty terrible Republican, you know?” the senator laughs. But that doesn’t mean he’s thrilled with how things are going with his team.
“I think the problem with the Democratic Party is, if you have a problem with a Democrat who supports Israel, who wants to secure our border, and thinks that it’s always wrong to shut our government down, then I think maybe the party has a bigger problem than I thought.”
Fetterman takes care to say that it’s the improbable fact of those three issues — Israel, the southern border, and the government shutdown — “converging at the same time” that “put me in alignment with more of a Republican view.”
“I ran as a regular Democrat, and my values haven’t changed,” Fetterman says.”What’s changed is, I think, the response after the Trump election.”
“We lost. We lost!” Fetterman says, repeating himself for emphasis. “And I think we really have to explore exactly why.”
“If it was partly the extreme things,” Fetterman says, doubling down on those positions would be a mistake.
It’s impossible not to think of Zohran Mamdani when he says this. The socialist upstart and likely next mayor of New York City has run a campaign in many ways reminiscent of Fetterman’s: focusing on the common man and embracing the fact that he looks different from everyone else on the primary ballot. But Mamdani shows no signs of moderating and offers no indication that he’ll govern like a “regular Democrat.”
But if Mamdani has Fetterman worried about the future of the Democratic Party, the senator won’t let on.
“New York City’s politics are not a model or relevant to national politics,” Fetterman says. “He will be the next mayor of NYC. That doesn’t change my life. And I don’t think it will change our party that wants to win nationally.”
It’s hard to square that sentiment with the actions of the Democratic Party, which in fact seems quite happy to sacrifice national victories to satisfy its Left flank. Take, for instance, the very shutdown that has Fetterman on the outs, which has dragged on this long in no small part because Schumer is terrified of being <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republicans-say-schumers-shutdown-is-about-appeasing-liberal-base-amid-rumored-aoc-primary?author=Amber+Jo+Cooper&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=14&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Republicans+Are+Calling+It+The+%E2%80%98Schumer+Shutdown.%E2%80%99+Why+Are+They+Making+It+All+About+AOC%3F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defenestrated</a> by New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
It’s also hard to square that sentiment with Fetterman’s other comments.
“I’d like to remind people that every single union that’s connected to this shutdown has said, hey, open this up! Vote for the CR, get that out,” Fetterman says. “We’re a pro-union party. Why don’t we listen to them? Why is this controversial for a Democrat to follow the voice of the unions?”
“I think shutting our government down simply because we have to ‘fight,’ or because that’s part of this resistance, I don’t agree with it,” the senator adds. “And I think we’re gonna hurt the kinds of people who are at the center of our party.”
As long as the government is closed, getting things reopened — paying servicemen, funding SNAP — will be Fetterman’s main focus. But after that’s resolved, assuming the peace in Gaza lasts, and if we can get something done in Ukraine, Fetterman senses the next issue of contention looming on the horizon.
“Holding China accountable,” Fetterman says. “China is certainly not our ally.”
The senator is open to whatever President Donald Trump and his team can throw at Beijing, from tariffs on down. Asked if he worries that escalating tensions with China will put Taiwan in the crosshairs, he demurs, but makes a point of trumpeting U.S.-Taiwan relations.
“I’m a big believer in democracy, and those are our key allies: Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine,&#8221; Fetterman says, noting that defending each country is “pretty much the same fight against these kinds of nations like China, Russia, and Iran.”
Here, Fetterman returns once again to bipartisanship.
“I don’t care who brings peace, whether it’s Donald Trump or Joe Biden, I’m gonna support and follow as long as they’re pushing for peace, through strength. Peace through strength.”
Peace through strength. Ronald Reagan added that phrase to the Republican Party platform in 1980, where it’s remained ever since. Like Fetterman, he was a union man whose frustrations with the Democratic Party catapulted him to national fame.
Fetterman stops short of declaring, as Reagan famously did, that the Democratic Party left him. But whether he’ll say it or not, it seems like that particular train may be leaving the station. And the senator from Pennsylvania doesn’t seem interested in running to catch it.

Senate Readies Tax Bill For Vote As Holdouts Threaten Delay

The Daily Wire Sits Down With John Fetterman, Who Doesn’t Hear From Democrats Anymore

Chuck Schumer

Senate Democrats

Zohran Mamdani

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) says that the Democratic Party needs to “own the shutdown” as the government closure drags on into its second month.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Jake Tapper, Fetterman was asked about the lapsing of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on November 1, and who he blames for it.
“As you know, 42 million Americans, including two million Pennsylvanians, will not receive food stamp or SNAP benefits this month because funding officially lapsed yesterday. The White House says this is the fault of Democrats for shutting down the government. Democrats note that the Trump administration is not dipping into the contingency funds for SNAP and they think that Trump is doing that to pressure Democrats. How do you see it? Who do you blame for this?” asked Tapper.
Fetterman began by noting his distress at the notion of tens of millions of Americans losing their SNAP benefits, which is “one of the big reasons why I refuse to [shut] our government down.”
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
“And again, I feel like the Democrats really need to own the shutdown. I mean, we&#8217;re shutting it down,” Fetterman added. “I know why they claim — because they want to address the tax credits, and I fully support that. I voted for all of their CRs, our CRs, every single time. And I refuse to put 42 million Americans in the kinds of food insecurity. … All is solved by just reopen[ing] our government and the people are now paid.”
Fetterman also noted that numerous unions and airlines are demanding that the Senate reopen the government: “And do we really want to make flying less safe by forcing this kind of situation and making things that much [more] stressed?”
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Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman on who he blames for the shutdown:
FETTERMAN: &#8220;I feel like the Democrats really need to own the shutdown. I mean, we&#8217;re shutting it down.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/ywSPMlJVwL">pic.twitter.com/ywSPMlJVwL</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1984998183479521367?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Fetterman To Democrats: ‘Own The Shutdown’ And Reopen Government Now

Food Stamps

As the government shutdown drags into its fifth week with no clear end in sight, Pennsylvania Democrat Senator John Fetterman erupted in frustration over his own party’s inertia — saying millions of Americans, including hungry parents and children, are left scrambling while politicians in Washington play political chess.
“It’s an absolute failure,” Fetterman told CNN. With the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) expiring over the weekend, roughly 40 million low-income Americans could lose access to food benefits. “Imagine being a parent with a couple kids and how you’re going to fill their refrigerator and pack their lunches and get on with their lives when the things that they’ve depended on is (sic) gone because we can’t even agree to just open things up. &#8230; I’m apologizing that we can’t even get our sh** together and just open up our government.”
Fetterman’s outburst came as the Senate adjourned again without results, heading into the 34th day of what is now one of the longest shutdowns in U.S. history. Behind closed doors, senators from both parties have floated compromises, but none have gained traction. For millions of families, that means another week of waiting while grocery prices soar and food banks stretch thin.
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Fetterman pointed to his wife, Gisele’s, local outreach. Her free store in Braddock, Pennsylvania, distributes food several times a week — and the lines, he said, have already grown. “I’ll encounter people this weekend that have no SNAP benefits. I don’t have an explanation for them,” he said. “All I can say is I’m sorry.”
The senator has become one of the few Democrats siding with Republicans to reopen the government. He’s broken ranks more than a dozen times, insisting that families should never be held hostage in a partisan fight.
When reminded that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer <a href="https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/schumer-says-every-day-gets-better-for-us/">said</a> the shutdown was “getting better for us” politically every day for the Democrats, Fetterman didn’t hide his disgust, saying, “Ask the hungry people on Saturday. Americans are not leverage. This is not some sh**ty game show about who’s winning.”
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Sen. Fetterman: “I&#39;m apologizing that, that we can&#39;t even get our shit together and just open up our government.”
On Schumer’s claim that things are better every day for Ds: “Ask the hungry people on Saturday…This is not some shitty game show about who&#39;s winning or whatever.” <a href="https://t.co/3ShdItR8UQ">pic.twitter.com/3ShdItR8UQ</a>
&mdash; Manu Raju (@mkraju) <a href="https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1984066152746906055?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Fetterman Blasts Schumer For Government Shutdown: ‘Not Some Sh**ty Game Show’

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