Some Senate Democrats have been willing to vote for Donald Trump’s less outlandish Cabinet nominees, but Pam Bondi’s nomination for U.S. attorney general was a qualitatively different kind of case. The Florida Republican is a scandal-plagued election denier and former lobbyist for foreign governments, who, even during her confirmation hearing, refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.
Members of the Senate’s GOP majority were eager to confirm Bondi anyway, but there was no way that Democrats were going to go along with such a scheme. When the dust settled, the final tally was 54-46, with every member of the Democratic minority opposed to her nomination — with one exception.
Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted with Republicans.
Around the same time, reporters started asking lawmakers for their reactions to Donald Trump’s apparent plan to “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, echoing the thoughts of many in his party, described the president’s proposal as “deranged” and “nuts.” The New York Times reported, however, that Fetterman had a different perspective.
Outside the Senate chamber in the Capitol, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who is known as one of the most staunchly pro-Israel Democrats in the Senate, called President Trump’s remarks “provocative,” but said that he would support a potential American occupation of the Gaza Strip, adding that Palestinians for years have “refused or have been unwilling to deliver a government that provided security and economic development for themselves.”
This came on the heels of the White House’s scandalous spending freeze, which the vast majority of Democrats were eager to denounce. Fetterman told reporters, however, that he wasn’t inclined “to freak out” about it.
About a week earlier, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called for possible U.S. military action against Iran’s nuclear program. Fetterman quickly endorsed the idea.
Circling back to our recent coverage, all of this appears to be part of a striking pattern. In the aftermath of the 2024 elections — a cycle in which his home state’s voters elected a new GOP senator and backed the Trump-Vance ticket — the Democrat has:
- offered positive comments about Trump’s goal of acquiring Greenland;
- met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago;
- joined Trump’s social media platform;
- endorsed a presidential pardon for Trump, calling the New York case against the Republican “bulls—”;
- described Trump as “a singular political talent”;
- met with Kash Patel and seemed reassured when the GOP operative said he wouldn’t pursue the names on his enemies list if confirmed as the next FBI director;
- and cosponsored the Republicans’ Laken Riley Act, ignoring the bill’s many serious flaws.
Before the election, the Pennsylvanian also endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to make it a literal crime to sell “cultivated” lab-based meats.
In case this isn’t obvious, in the not-too-distant past, Fetterman described himself as a “progressive” and backed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. More recently, however, the senator told NBC News, “I’m not a progressive.”
It’s difficult to say with confidence what’s behind the Pennsylvanian’s shifts, but those hoping to see Senate Democrats maintain a united front against the new administration should keep this in mind: There are real differences between the old Fetterman and the new Fetterman.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
