Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) has become one of the most vocal and staunch supporters of President Biden remaining the top Democratic candidate following Biden’s lackluster performance in the first presidential debate with former President Trump last month.
“I refuse to join the Democratic vultures who have climbed onto Biden’s shoulders after the debate. No one knows better than me that a tough debate is not the sum of a person and their record,” the Pennsylvania senator wrote on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the debate ended and reports of panic among Democrats emerged.
Crisis-hit Democrats avoid Biden debate drama ahead of Senate elections
Fetterman said he “strongly disagrees and finds it extremely disappointing” that Biden might halt arms exports to Israel. (Getty Images)
“My district was thermonuclearly defeated the next morning during the debate and polling geniuses like 538 predicted I would lose by 2 votes. And what happened? The only seat was flipped and I won by a historic margin (+5). Calm down,” he wrote, referring to his own race in 2022 against Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Fetterman, who suffered a stroke during the campaign, was heavily criticized for his performance in debates, particularly after his communication and hearing problems were revealed.
Weak Democrats Use Dave Chappelle Show to Gain Edge in Key Battleground States
In a recent interview with NBC News, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) declared that he is “not a progressive.” (Photographer: Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But, as he noted, he won the election and recaptured a formerly Republican-controlled Senate seat.
Biden, 81, has never suffered a stroke.
In the days after Biden’s poor debate performance, Fetterman continued to defend the president without prompting. When The New York Times editorial board called on Biden to back down, a junior senator from Pennsylvania said, “Fuck that.”
Tammy Baldwin will not accompany Biden during his Wisconsin visit, but will continue to tour the state
An outlandish New York magazine op-ed detailing a “conspiracy” to defend President Biden’s intellectual decline has astounded readers with its assertion that elite Democrats have long known about the cognitive issues that have come under scrutiny since last week’s disastrous debate. (Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
After the debate, Pennsylvania Democrats came to a fierce defense of Biden, who has become something of a traitor within his party, particularly over the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza and the subsequent protests and encampments on college campuses.
While Fetterman has seemed willing to defend Biden’s position as the Democratic nominee and his performance in the debate, other Democrats have been much more cautious, often only speaking out about the situation when asked directly by reporters. Others, particularly those up for reelection in November, have refrained from even saying whether Biden should be the nominee and have dodged questions about it.
Pressure mounts on Democrats in battleground states after Biden debate disaster
Massachusetts Democratic Governor Maura Healey has publicly urged President Biden to consider dropping out of the presidential race, suggesting the president should listen to the American people and consider whether he is the best person to defeat former President Donald Trump. (Photographer: Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Despite assurances from Biden’s campaign and the president himself that he is not dropping out of the race, some party members continue to express doubts and concerns. Most recently, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (D), a key Biden ally, called on the president to “carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope of beating Donald Trump.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
she statement This comes after Biden assured a group of Democratic governors at a meeting on Wednesday that he would see the campaign through to the end.
The Biden campaign noted that the president has also received support from other Democrats, including California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) and Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D).
Fetterman’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital for comment by publication time.
Get the latest 2024 election campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more on Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
