Fetterman admits Dems ‘sort of lost ourselves’ on key election issue

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., acknowledged that Democrats had a major problem when it came to border security, resulting in Republicans securing control of both chambers of Congress and the White House.

Fetterman did not pull punches in reflecting on his party during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.”

“Well, one area where we kind of lost ourselves was the border,” the Democratic senator stated. “And I’ve been on this network, you know, months, months ago saying, ‘Hey, you know, it can’t be controversial for our party to have pro-immigration, but we need a secure border.’ And when we ask or demand people to not believe what they see, and see those kind of numbers, that that’s not a problem. It’s like, well, then you lose about that 100%,” 

“I’ve tried to describe – you have up to 300,000 people – encounters – per month. And I put that in perspective with Pennsylvania. I’m like, that’s the size of Pittsburgh showing up in one month,” Fetterman told host Gillian Turner. “It’s like, what’s going to happen for those folks? If we want them [to have] the American Dream for those people, how can we possibly deliver that? Where do they go? And we can’t pretend that that’s not a significant issue. And we got to address that.” 

Democrats have traditionally defined themselves as the anti-war party, but Fetterman seemed to suggest it lost its footing when progressives grew critical of Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists following the Oct. 7 attacks. Fetterman said Israel’s effort against Hamas and Ukraine’s fight against Russia are two “just” wars that remain ongoing.

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Sen. John Fetterman speaks at a rally for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Oct. 14, 2024, in Erie, Pennsylvania. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

In regard to Israel, Fetterman said he “never supported a cease-fire, and that was the right thing.” 

“I said I was going to follow Israel. And since they refused to have that cease-fire, they have eliminated and broken Hamas, and Hezbollah, Hezbollah was supposed to be like the ultimate bada– in the Middle East, and now they were a bunch of Keystone Cops, and Iran has just been exposed, as you know, they really can’t fight about anything. So that’s been a significant development here,” Fetterman said. 

“And with respect to Ukraine, Ukraine was invaded, and for me, for me, it’s about standing on the side of democracy,” he continued. “And I was very supportive about that aid. And I don’t understand if the other side would stop delivering that kind of aid. That’s a disagreement, but I’ve been very, very clear supporting Israel and Ukraine.” 

Sen. John Fetterman gestures during a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Rankin, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 4, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)

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Turner noted that President-elect Trump’s transition team has touted their foreign policy and national security team as the most pro-Israel in American history. That includes Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tapped to become secretary of state, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., nominated for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Huckabee, chosen as U.S. ambassador to Israel, and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., as national security adviser.  

“In terms of the incoming administration, I actually like what I see in terms of being very, very strong pro-Israel,” Fetterman said, adding that Israel has made “magnificent kinds of progress… generating longer term peace by destroying Hamas, Hezbollah, and demonstrating that Iran, really, doesn’t have the kind of capability to deliver any kinds of damage.” 

Sen. John Fetterman joins Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for a rally on Oct. 2, 2024, in York, Pennsylvania. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

He indicated he would support Rubio, and potentially Dr. Mehmet Oz, who Fetterman defeated during a contentious Senate race. 

Fetterman said on Sunday that he knows “it got kinda ugly” in his race against Oz, but he “doesn’t have any kind of bitterness” and “is open to dialogue,” adding, “I’m not sure why that’s controversial.” 

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 “I’m not going to pre-hate. I’m not going to pre-hate a lot of these things, and I’m not going to pre-hate this,” Fetterman said. “I’m going to have an open conversation for anyone, that I’m open to having part of that conversation.”