Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is scheduled to meet with President-elect Donald Trump in the coming days, according to multiple sources familiar with the president-elect’s itinerary. Fetterman later confirmed his attendance in a statement to CBS News. “That is the plan. Yes, we are going to have a conversation,” Fetterman told the outlet when asked about the upcoming meeting. The trip will mark the first time a sitting Democratic senator has met with Trump since his historic comeback victory in the November election.
“I think that one, he’s the president, or he will be officially,” Fetterman said. “And I think it’s pretty reasonable that if the president would like to have a conversation — or invite someone to have a conversation — to have it. And no one is my gatekeeper.” According to a report from Fox News, Trump is likely hoping to secure the Pennsylvania Democrat’s support for his cabinet nominees later this month. Fetterman has recently met with several of Trump’s picks, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Defense Department nominee Pete Hegseth. Additionally, he has voiced support for Trump’s controversial proposal to purchase Greenland, openly rebuking his own party in the process.
“I do think it’s a responsible conversation,” Fetterman told CBS News, comparing the acquisition to the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 by Thomas Jefferson. “I mean, if anyone thinks that’s bonkers, well remember the Louisiana Purchase? I think Alaska was a great deal, too, fifty million dollars… I’m open to having all kinds of conversations. It’s not helpful to freak out, but some things might work out, some might not, but that’s part of an ongoing dialogue. He doesn’t even take office for two weeks,” he added.
The freshman senator has frequently emphasized Trump’s “special” connection with the people of Pennsylvania, referencing the near-assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in a Pittsburgh suburb last July. Fetterman also sparked criticism from fellow Democrats by predicting that Trump would win the Keystone State in November—a prediction that ultimately proved accurate.
“I think if you match up Trump with Harris, and I think that’s what this is really about, and I do believe he’s going to win Pennsylvania. And I do believe it’s going to be close, but whether it’s Biden, whether it was Clinton, or whether it was with Vice President Harris I think it’s going to be very close,” Fetterman told Newsmax after President Biden dropped his reelection bid in July.
Fetterman recently became the first Democrat to sponsor the Laken Riley Act, legislation that would require the federal government to detain noncitizens who have been convicted of or charged with burglary, larceny, theft, or shoplifting. A version of the bill passed in the House of Representatives earlier this week and is currently under consideration in the Senate. “We absolutely need to have a secure border, and I have always also been incredibly supportive and protective for Dreamers,” Fetterman told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.
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