Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman defended his meeting with President Donald Trump during an appearance on "The View" on Monday, saying that working with the president was part of his job.
Fetterman was asked by "The View" hosts about his highly publicized visit to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump ahead of the inauguration, which drew some backlash from members of his party.
The Democratic senator, who has expressed a willingness to reach across the aisle, praised Trump as "kind" and "cordial."
"I think overall it was a positive experience. I mean, he was — he was kind. He was cordial. It wasn’t in a — in any kind of theater, it wasn't trying to get your picture taken to put something out on social media. It was really just a conversation," Fetterman recalled.
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Fetterman said that he and his wife, Gisele, spoke to Trump for over an hour, looking to find common ground about protecting "Dreamers" and food stamp benefits, among other topics.
"Overall, it was just a straight-up conversation," Fetterman said.
Trump also praised the meeting afterward, telling The Washington Examiner he was impressed with Fetterman, whom he called a "commonsense person."
Fetterman told "The View" that he wasn't interested in "freaking out" over Trump but was "in the business of finding wins" for his state and the nation.
"I’m not that guy. I’m not going to be that Democrat. For me, you know, there’s things I’m going to agree with, I’m going to disagree with, but I’m in the business of finding wins for Pennsylvania and for the nation, and engaging the president — I see that as doing my job," he said.
Co-host Ana Navarro brought up the criticism Fetterman received from the left, claiming the lawmaker was helping to bolster the false notion that Trump was open to working with Democrats.
"I understand the need for bipartisanship. I didn’t love the optics of you going to Mar-a-Lago," she admitted – referring to it as Trump's "palace" – before asking the lawmaker if he thought the meeting was a success.
"I think it's pretty reasonable to have a conversation," Fetterman addressed his critics.
He explained how he had been invited by Trump to meet, and he took the opportunity because he felt that working with the president was part of the job of any elected official.
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Speaking to "The View"'s audience, Fetterman said, "I hope, maybe you [who] are watching, you’re tired of just the venom and the hate, and it's like, I'd want more bipartisan kinds of things."
Fetterman said he was choosing his battles and he didn't find that adding to the "cheap hate online" was beneficial.
"[A]nd if those kinds of things were helpful, you know, we would be in a different situation. We would be the ones making those kinds of decisions with the new administration with then-Vice President Harris," he continued.
Fetterman also gave his initial impression of Trump's first week in office.
"Honestly, I haven’t been surprised by anything now. I mean, he’s been doing essentially what he actually campaigned on," he told "The View."
"He announced he is going to pardon the January 6 individuals. He is absolutely going to go after the border. So there’s a lot of things that he’s already ran on. I criticize a lot of it, and I don’t agree with everything either, but it’s undeniable he actually ran on that and been really upfront. He’s like, ‘I am your retribution,’ and, you know, he’s kind of making those moves," Fetterman said.
Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman confirmed he will meet with President-elect Trump ahead of the former and upcoming president's second inauguration on Jan. 20.
"President Trump invited me to meet, and I accepted. I’m the senator for all Pennsylvanians – not just Democrats in Pennsylvania," Fetterman told Fox News on Thursday.
"I’ve been clear that no one is my gatekeeper. I will meet with and have a conversation with anyone if it helps me deliver for Pennsylvania and the nation," he added.
A source familiar with the meeting told Fox Digital it will take place over the weekend at Mar-a-Lago. It will be the first known meeting between Trump and a sitting Democratic senator at Mar-a-Lago.
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Fetterman endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president during the 2024 election cycle but was one of the few Democrats who spoke publicly about Trump earning a strong showing of support among voters – most notably in his battleground home state of Pennsylvania.
"There’s a difference between not understanding, but also acknowledging that it exists," Fetterman told the New York Times in October of Trump's support. "And anybody who spends time driving around, and you can see the intensity. It’s astonishing."
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In another interview ahead of the election, Fetterman acknowledged Pennsylvania voters shared a "connection" with Trump before also launching expletives directed at Trump and mocking the former president's campaign.
"I've been saying this, whether it was Biden or then became Harris, I said it's going to be very close. And Trump definitely has a connection with voters here in Pennsylvania, and that's why it's going to be close," Fetterman said on CNN's "State of the Union" in November ahead of Election Day.
Trump ultimately won Pennsylvania, which served as a key state in him securing the election overall. Following the win, Fetterman said it was a "serious flex" and chastised Democratic rhetoric ahead of the election that attempted to case Trump as a "fascist."
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"I think this election was a serious flex for bros. And you know, it was strange that Democrats are like, ‘Oh, childless cat ladies. How dare you.’ OK, that is weird. I don’t know why [JD] Vance would say that – you can be pro-family without insulting people that choose not to have kids or are unable to have kids," Fetterman said.
"I love people that are absolutely going to vote for Trump. They’re not fascists. They’re not those things. I think if you go to the tickle switch, use those kinds of terms, then it’s kind of hard to walk back on those things. That’s kind of a word that really isn’t part of the vernacular for voters. Scolding harder or clutching the pearls harder, that’s never going to work for Democrats," Fetterman said.
As President-elect Donald Trump continues to express interest in the U.S. acquiring Greenland, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., conveyed a willingness to entertain the concept.
Fetterman noted that he would not support forcibly seizing Greenland — but the senator, who made the comments during an appearance on Fox News Channel's "Special Report," pointed to historical American land acquisitions, including the Louisiana purchase and the purchase of Alaska.
Trump declared in a post on Truth Social last month, "For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."
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"Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!" he said in a Truth Social post on Monday.
Donald Trump Jr. visited Greenland on Tuesday.
The icy island "has its own extensive local government, but it is also part of the Realm of Denmark," according to denmark.dk. "Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, when it was redefined as a district of Denmark. In addition to its own local government, Greenland has two representatives in the Danish Parliament, the Folketing."
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The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley Act in a bipartisan 264-159 vote on Tuesday, and Fetterman said that he plans to support passage in the Senate.
The measure is named after the 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student slain last year by an illegal alien in Georgia.
The legislation calls for the Homeland Security secretary to issue a detainer for an illegal alien who admits to, or is charged with, arrested, or convicted of actions that comprise the key elements of theft or similar offenses, and to take custody of the person if they have not been detained by federal, state, or local authorities.
Fetterman said he doesn't know why anyone finds it controversial that people illegally in the U.S. who commit crimes "need to go."
"Do you think that this was one of, if not the biggest issue for this election?" Fox News' Brett Baier asked Fetterman.
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The senator replied that if Senate Democrats cannot muster 7 votes in support of the measure, that is one of the reasons they lost.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., says he hopes President-elect Trump is successful, and spoke out against those who feel otherwise.
Fetterman appeared Sunday on ABC'S "This Week." His more than 10-minute sit-down segment was pre-recorded with co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
"I'm not rooting against him," the Democratic senator said. "If you're rooting against the president, you are rooting against the nation. And and I'm not ever going to be where I want a president to fail. So, country first. I know that's become maybe like a cliche, but it happens to be true."
The senator told Karl he never believed Trump's movement was about fascism, while noting that it was Vice President Kamala Harris' "prerogative" to call Trump a fascist during her campaign.
"Fascism, that's not a word that regular people use, you know?" Fetterman said. "I think people are going to decide who is the candidate that's going to protect and project, you know, my version of the American way of life, and that's what happened."
Fetterman has been meeting with Trump's Cabinet nominees, noting that his decision about whether to vote to confirm the candidates will stem from an open mind and informed perspective.
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"I believe that it’s appropriate and the responsibility of a U.S. senator to have a conversation with President-elect Trump's nominees. That’s why I met with Elise Stefanik and Pete Hegseth, just wrapped with Tulsi Gabbard, and look forward to my meetings with others soon," Fetterman declared in a post on X.
"My votes will come from an open mind and an informed opinion after having a conversation with them. That’s not controversial, it's my job," he continued.
More than a month ago, Fetterman said Democrats cannot afford to "freak out" over everything Trump says or does. He echoed that sentiment on Sunday, again mentioning that Trump has not even taken office yet.
Fox News' Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
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