Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said on Sunday that President-elect Trump was in the strongest position of the past three cycles when running for president in 2024.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Fetterman pushed back on the suggestion that Democrats were no longer the party of the working class, saying, “Of course,” they are. He pointed to two factors in particular that he said boosted Trump’s campaign.
“Well, of course, but I described the situation, and now I have already claimed that it’s going to be incredibly close, and I’ve also claimed that Trump is the strongest that he’s been in the three cycles there,” Trump said about the election.
Fetterman noted tech billionaire Elon Musk’s unique role in Trump’s 2024 campaign and the assassination attempt that happened this summer in Butler, Pa. contributed to Trump’s success in Pennsylvania.
“And now things that were really unique that happened: The assassination attempt – that was in Butler,” Fetterman said. “And then Musk. Musk is not just a typical kind of a surrogate. … Musk made himself really effective, and he was described as moving to Pennsylvania, and I do believe that helped move the needle in that too.”
“So Trump came in in the strongest position, and he carried Pennsylvania and carried all of the swing states. So that’s what, that’s what’s reflected, that he came in in a strong position,” Fetterman said, adding that, “it’s undeniable and here we are now because of a lot of the decisions that were made before the election.”