- Sen. John Fetterman says ‘unengaged’ voters are ‘wearing a MAGA hat.’
- But he has also become a Biden critic of Israel itself – but in the other direction.
- On Tuesday, he insisted that wasn’t the case: “It’s not critical. I just don’t agree with it.”
In February, Senator John Fetterman sent a strong message to left-wing critics of President Joe Biden.
“If you’re not willing to just support the president now and say those kinds of things, you might as well get your MAGA hat on because you’re now helping Trump with this,” the Pennsylvania Democrat said on “Morning Joe” MSNBC. at the time.
In an interview with Business Insider at the Capitol on Tuesday, he said he was specifically referring to the Uncommit movement, which pushed voters in several states to cast “no-commitment” votes to protest Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza .
Some of these voters continue to withhold their support from Biden until he changes course.
“What’s damaging is if you talk about ‘abandoning Biden’ or ‘I’m not committed to voting,’” Fetterman said Tuesday. “So, you know, you wear a MAGA hat.”
Since Fetterman first made his “MAGA hat” comments in February, he has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration on Israel, suggesting the president is “pandering to the margins” as he seeks to implements a temporary ceasefire in Gaza and discourages Israel. in retaliation for a recent Iranian missile and drone attack.
On Tuesday, Fetterman insisted he wasn’t being critical — he was just disagreeing. And he argued that it wasn’t damaging to Biden in the same way that, he said, left-wing criticism of the president was.
“No, I haven’t been critical. It’s not critical. I just don’t agree with certain aspects. It’s reasonable,” Fetterman said. “(I’m) 10,000% for Biden, I love the guy, I’m proud to call him my president. It’s really very different from the fringe talking about non-engagement, or abandoning Biden, or something like that. “
But Fetterman’s claim that he didn’t criticize Biden doesn’t hold water.
The Pennsylvania senator said it was ‘appalling’ that the Biden administration allowed a resolution demanding that an immediate ceasefire in Gaza be adopted by the UN Security Council. He has Many times criticized the administration for discourage Israel to invade Rafah, which the United States fears could lead to even more civilian deaths. He also forcefully opposed conditions placed on Israeli aid, with Biden suggesting they could be on the table.
And on CNN on Sunday, Fetterman said he disagreed with Biden telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States would not participate in any offensive against Iran.
“I think we should follow and support Israel in this situation. I disagree with the president,” Fetterman said, before adding that he thought Biden was “fantastic.”
Since the Hamas attacks of October 7, Fetterman has established himself as a decidedly pro-Israel voice, alienating many of his former progressive allies in the process.
At times, the Pennsylvania senator has found himself to the right of most Democrats on this issue. He was one of two Democrats — the other being Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia — who declined to co-sponsor a resolution in December supporting a two-state solution in Israel.
businessinsider
