Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), a staunch supporter of President Biden, said he strongly disagreed with Sen. Peter Welch’s call for the president to step down.
“Senator Welch is a good friend of mine and the nicest guy in Washington, and I’ve said that publicly,” Fetterman told CNN’s Erin Burnett shortly after Welch’s opinion was published in The Washington Post. “So I actually don’t agree with my friend.”
Fetterman went on to say that he doesn’t share Welch’s views, and even if he did, he wouldn’t have “made it public” in The Washington Post, the Pennsylvania Democrat said.
“But he’s entitled to his opinion, and I’m entitled to mine, and I disagree with my friend’s opinion,” Fetterman said. “I strongly disagree.”
Welch became the first Senate Democrat to publicly call on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.
In his op-ed, he said he had “great respect” for Biden, but believed the country would be better off if he stepped down.
Welch warned against a second term under former President Trump, saying voters were worried.
Nine House Democrats have also called for Biden to hand over the baton since Biden’s shaky debate performance. Fetterman has firmly supported the president and criticized his congressional colleagues.
He said the idea of abandoning Biden was “the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard” and that he believed the defection of more Democrats would only help Trump’s reelection.
Fetterman told Barnett he supports the president because “he’s the only person who has beaten President Trump in an election.”
“He’s been a great president and has always deserved our support,” Fetterman said.
Fetterman wants to quell some of the panic among Democrats over the past two weeks as many worry Biden won’t beat Trump and that could have ramifications for both the House and Senate elections.
“I believe Joe Biden will win, but it’s going to be a very close race,” he said. “Either way, it’s not going to be a landslide victory. [of the] “It’s going to be a very close race, debate or no debate. I’ve been saying the same thing since 2016, 2020 and of course this entire election cycle.”
