U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has recently emerged as one of President Joe Biden’s loudest critics following the president’s plans to stop shipping certain weapons to Israel if it invades Rafah in southern Gaza.
But at an event Monday in Wilkinsburg, the Braddock Democrat said his disagreements with Biden over Israel should not be taken as a sign he will abandon Biden come November.
“He is my guy. He is the president, and he is gonna win,” Fetterman said after an event announcing new federal funding for the Wilkinsburg Police Department.
Fetterman said the two politicians’ disagreement over Israel shows that Democrats who support Biden can still have diverse views on various issues.
Last week, Fetterman called Biden’s warning to pause weapons shipments to Israel “deeply disappointing.”
Fetterman has spoken with several national media outlets over the last few days to discuss his split with Biden on the topic. Fetterman has emerged as one of the staunchest Israeli allies in the Senate. Biden has maintained strong support for Israel over his presidency, but his latest move marks a departure from his previous unconditional support.
In February, Fetterman said he didn’t understand Democrats who were criticizing Biden. He urged people to get behind the president, saying the stakes were too high for the country to deny support in what was then a likely rematch in November with former President Donald J. Trump.
At the time, concerns about Biden’s age dominated headlines, and pro-Palestinian protesters threatened to withhold election support unless he softened his backing of Israel.
On Monday, Fetterman said his recent criticism of Biden shouldn’t be viewed as being similar to the criticism leveled by protesters who led efforts to vote “uncommitted” during the primary as a way to show displeasure with Biden.
“Criticizing is not the same as talking about walking away or being uncommitted. That is dangerous, and you are wearing your own MAGA hat if you do that,” Fetterman said.
Fetterman appeared frustrated at questions about the differences between him and Biden on the Israel-Hamas war. He said he and Biden “agree to disagree” on the topic.
“For the 30th time, I have no conditions on the situation,” said Fetterman, referring to the U.S. providing Israel with funding and weapons.
“Israel is our key ally,” Fetterman said. “We need to be clearly on their side and provide those kinds of tools that are necessary.”
Regardless of his differences with the Biden administration, Fetterman said the contrast is stark in the November presidential election.
“You have a choice between having a president doing all sorts of important things moving our nation forward, and the other one is in a trial hanging out and talking about bribing a porn star in New York,” Fetterman said in reference to Trump’s ongoing hush money trial involving payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
When asked about a recent New York Times/Siena poll showing Trump leading Biden 47%-44% in Pennsylvania in a hypothetical two-person race — and leading in five battleground states — Fetterman dismissed it as one survey out of dozens. He made a mock crying gesture and said “boo hoo hoo.”
“Polls are up and down and whatever. It is going to be close,” he said. “I don’t know how many times we can gin this up into a story that doesn’t exist. It has always been a very stark choice, and it is going to be very close.”
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