SALENA ZITO: ‘I am a Democrat’: Will Pennsylvania turn on John Fetterman?

Fetterman’s pro-Israel stance increasingly made him “pro-Trump” in the eyes of many progressives. When he and his wife, Giselle, met with Trump in Florida to get acquainted — what was once a common courtesy between congressional members of opposite parties and presidents — it was considered an act of betrayal.

Powerful Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer were once aligned with Fetterman on issues such as securing the border and supporting Republican presidential picks for Cabinet positions despite political differences.

It wasn’t Fetterman who changed; he still believes in those things as much as he believes in a woman’s right to choose, rights for the LGBTQ+ community and progressive economic views such as closing tax loopholes for the wealthy and supporting workers’ rights and affordable health care.

“The party has abandoned core values in the face of TDS,” Fetterman said, referencing “Trump derangement syndrome.”

Hatred of Israel and observant Jews, too.