Fetterman says he plans to meet with Trump
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said he plans to meet with President-elect Trump at his resort in Florida; he will likely be the first Democratic lawmaker in the upper chamber to meet with the incoming commander in chief since his general election victory in November last year.
“President Trump invited me to meet, and I accepted. I’m the Senator for all Pennsylvanians— not just Democrats in Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said in an emailed statement to The Hill. “I’ve been clear that no one is my gatekeeper. I will meet with and have a conversation with anyone if it helps me deliver for Pennsylvania and the nation.”
A Trump-affiliated source familiar with the matter told The Hill that the meeting will take place.
In late December, Trump met with another Democrat: Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser. She later described it as a “great meeting.”
The Pennsylvania senator, who has at times openly criticized some factions of his party in the aftermath of the 2024 election, previously said he will be supporting some of Trump’s Cabinet choices, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as secretary of State.
He did not rule out backing some of the president-elect's more controversial nominees, including Pete Hegseth as Defense secretary and Kash Patel as the head of the FBI.
Fetterman and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) both co-sponsored the Laken Riley Act, an immigration bill that passed the House on Tuesday with backing from all House GOP lawmakers and 48 Democrats. The Senate will vote on the bill Thursday afternoon.
In recent days, Trump has discussed acquiring Greenland, the planet’s largest island. Fetterman compared the discussion to the Louisiana Purchase.
“There’s a lot of talk about Greenland, for example, and … there’s a lot of freak-outs and of course, I would never support taking it by force,” Fetterman said Tuesday, adding it is a “responsible conversation” about acquisition, including “just buying it out.”
“If anyone thinks that’s bonkers, it’s like, well, remember the Louisiana Purchase?” Fetterman said on Fox News.
During Fetterman’s 2022 Senate run against the Trump-backed Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump went after the then-lieutenant governor, saying Fetterman was abusing drugs.
"Fetterman supports taxpayer-funded drug dens and the complete decriminalization of illegal drugs, including heroin, cocaine, crystal meth, and ultra-lethal fentanyl," Trump said in September 2022. "By the way, he takes them himself."
Fetterman’s campaign hit back, saying it was just "more and more lies from Trump and Dr. Oz, another day, but it's the same crap from these two desperate and sad dudes.”
CBS News first reported on the meeting.