Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is weighing in on Donald Trump’s victory in November’s presidential vote, highlighting the moment he thinks may have cemented the election result.
In a New York Times interview published Wednesday, Fetterman was asked to assess whether the losses the Democratic Party sustained this month were inevitable given anti-incumbent sentiment worldwide.
“That’s a question worth asking,” Fetterman said, before pivoting to lay out some of the factors he thinks played a major role in propelling Trump to victory.
One was the attempt on Trump’s life at a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. A rallygoer died as a result of the attack.
“I think some people seem to forget that, or how incredibly dangerous that was for a nation, God forbid, if he [Trump] would have been mortally wounded,” Fetterman said.
The gunman targeted Trump while he was delivering a speech at the campaign event, with the shooting injuring Trump’s ear. As Secret Service agents moved to quickly to whisk him away, the Republican politician pumped his first in the air, saying, “Fight!”
“But the kind of imagery and the kinds of energy that emerged from that, absolutely, I witnessed that on the ground in Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said. “I thought, well, that might be ballgame.”
Fetterman also once again emphasized the role that the backing of billionaire Elon Musk played in helping Trump shore up support with blue-collar men, a group that Democrats struggled to get traction with.
“It’s very rare, in my opinion, that surrogates have ‘fanboys,’” Fetterman said while discussing Musk. “Making fun of him or make light of it, you do that at your peril, because it is going to matter.”
The senator also urged his fellow Democrats to take time to process and come to terms with the election result instead of freaking out.
“We really need to pace ourselves, or … just grab a grip. Realize that this is how elections go,” he said.
Read more on Fetterman at The New York Times.
