‘I will meet with and have a conversation with anyone if it helps me deliver for Pennsylvania and the nation,’ Fetterman said.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said on Jan. 9 that he will meet with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago; the first Democratic senator to meet with the incoming president.
“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,” he said.
Fetterman did not say when the meeting will take place.
CBS News first reported on the upcoming meeting.
Fetterman, who supported Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, has expressed support for parts of Trump’s agenda.
Fetterman posted on Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, last month that both the Trump case and the cases against Hunter Biden were political. “Weaponizing the judiciary for blatant, partisan gain diminishes the collective faith in our institutions and sows further division,” Fetterman wrote.
President Joe Bidenpardonedhis son last month for federal felony gun and tax convictions.
Fetterman was the first Democrat to cosponsor the Laken Riley Act, which requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain illegal immigrants who commit certain crimes, such as theft, theft, burglary, or shoplifting.
The bill was named for a Georgia nursing student killed by an illegal immigrant who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The Senate advanced the measure on Jan. 9.
“Laken Riley’s story is a tragic reminder of what’s at stake when our systems fail to protect people. No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one to preventable violence,” said Fetterman in a statement.
“Immigration is what makes our country great. I support giving authorities the tools to prevent tragedies like this one while we work on comprehensive solutions to our broken system.”
After the 2024 election, Fetterman told ABC News that he was “not rooting against” Trump.
“If you’re rooting against the president, you are rooting against the nation. And I’m not ever going to be where I want a president to fail,” he said. “So, country first. I know that’s become maybe like a cliché, but it happens to be true.”
Fetterman struck a conciliatory tone when talking about the president-elect.
“He literally was shot in the head and had the presence of mind to respond ‘fight, fight, fight.’ That’s a political talent that’s undeniable,” he said.
“Also, I never believed it was about fascism—for me, that made it difficult.
“It’s not a word that I would use because a lot of Democrats that I know were going to vote for Trump, and they are not fascists. It’s not a word that regular people use. I think people are going to decide who is the candidate that is going to protect and project my version of the American way of life.”