Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman was among the first members of Congress to congratulate President Donald Trump for securing a “historic” peace deal between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza after two years of conflict.
Trump was interrupted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a White House roundtable event on Wednesday. Rubio briefed him that a ceasefire agreement between the two sides was close. The president duly announced the deal on Truth Social last night, inspiring fresh calls from conservatives for him to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Fetterman, a strong supporter of Israel, reposted Trump’s announcement on X and wrote: “I congratulate POTUS on this historic peace plan that releases all the hostages. Now, enduring peace in the region is possible. Our parties are different, but we have a shared ironclad commitment to Israel and its people.”
Providing a sharp contrast, California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna was far less deferential and reacted to Wednesday’s events by scoffing at the prospect of Trump winning the Nobel Peace Prize, pointing out to Chris Hayes on MSNBC that Henry Kissinger had won it but Mahatma Gandhi had not.
Fetterman has not been afraid to break ranks to try to find common ground with the president’s MAGA movement this year, joining Truth Social himself, approving several of Trump’s more controversial cabinet nominees, and attending his inauguration, albeit still wearing his trademark cargo shorts in defiance of the blistering winter cold.
Last month, the swing-state senator appeared on CNN’s Inside Politics with Manu Raju and took the opportunity to rebuke his fellow Democrats for some of their more extreme rhetoric criticizing the president.
“You don’t ever compare anyone to Hitler,” he said. “This is not an autocrat. This is a product of a democratic election.”
He went on to say that members of his party were wrong to accuse Trump and the Republican Party of seeking to tear up the U.S. Constitution, even as the president and his administration are undertaking what a wide range of experts, including the libertarian Cato Institute, argue is an unprecedented attempt to roll back free speech rights.
“We can’t just be, ‘Trump is always wrong!’” Fetterman argued. “A lot of Americans happen to disagree with you. That does not mean that they are fascists, or that they want to shred the Constitution.”
The senator has also been seen dining with Steve Bannon – on his own wedding anniversary – and has attacked progressive New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, suggesting he was “not even a Democrat,” opening the door to obvious jokes at his own expense.
Fetterman’s apparent “rightward shift” has not been well received in his state by the liberals who elected him in 2022, according to recent polling, which could pose a significant problem for him going forward if his concessions prove to be a miscalculation.
