Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) on Sunday cited his “difficult” 2022 debate performance with Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz, arguing that President Biden can still win in November and is “deserving” of a second term.
Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Fetterman dismissed the New York Times, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and left-wing commentators who have called on Biden to drop out of the race.
“It’s not worth it. There was a similar uproar after my debate. In fact, I would go so far as to say I had a harder night than the president,” Fetterman told host Shannon Bream. “And now here I am having this conversation, and I want to remind everyone watching right now that Biden is number one and Trump is still number zero and he’s the only one who beat Trump. I truly believe Joe Biden would do it again, even though all the Democrats are tired of it.”
Bream noted that Fetterman was recovering from a stroke at the time of the debate and is improving over time, while voters are more concerned about the 81-year-old Biden because of his older age.
Fetterman urges Democrats to “calm down” about Biden, saying Biden is proof that “fierce debates” aren’t the cause of breakdown.
Sen. John Fetterman spoke to reporters as he left the Senate chamber after voting on June 4, 2024, at the U.S. Capitol. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“It was a difficult debate, but I still managed to come out victorious,” Fetterman said. “Everybody said that was the end of my career. That was the end of the campaign. And everybody expected me to lose by more than two points. But I beat Oz by five points. So I say this is like one debate. Just like it’s not Donald Trump’s career, a felony conviction doesn’t define his reputation or his presidency. And that’s why we’re both here again.”
Trump was convicted on 34 counts in a Manhattan hush-money trial and is awaiting sentencing just days before the Republican National Convention.
In a post on X after Thursday’s CNN presidential debate, Fetterman urged Democrats panicking over Biden’s panned performance to “calm down” because Biden is living proof that a “tough debate” doesn’t disqualify a political candidate.
President Biden during the first presidential debate of this election cycle, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Biden’s ‘disastrous’ debate performance sparks media mayhem, calls for him to withdraw from 2024 election
Fetterman suffered a stroke in May 2022 that caused apparent hearing processing problems that affected his ability to speak in the months leading up to Election Day in November of that year. Despite a shocking debate performance that left many Americans questioning his eligibility, Fetterman defeated Republican and former daytime TV host known as Dr. Oz in the Pennsylvania Senate race.
Fetterman on Sunday further argued that Biden is “worthy” of a second term, citing Biden’s record on the economy and the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
President Biden and former President Trump during the first presidential debate, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I’ve watched him over the last four years and he’s done incredible things. I mean, he got us out of that pandemic, that pandemic that took over a million American lives. And look at our economy. Our economy is the envy of the world,” he said. “Look at the stock market. Look at other indicators. People were predicting we were going to have a recession. And now we’re booming. So the president’s doing a really good job and he’s deserving of a second term. But I want to be really clear: It’s going to be a very close race.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
According to a Fox News poll conducted April 11-16, registered voters in Pennsylvania far outnumbered Biden in voting for Trump as the candidate they trust best to handle the economy, foreign policy and border issues.
“The only polls that really matter are on Election Day,” Fetterman said. “The polls have shifted, they’ve flipped in my race, and I’m now a United States senator. And I just got back from Israel a few days ago. So I want to remind everyone that one debate doesn’t define your history, your character, your situation.”
Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.
