(Headline USA) Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., blasted California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a fellow Democrat, over the weekend for running a “shadow” presidential campaign.
Fetterman made the comments at an Iowa Democratic Party fundraiser, according to NBC News.
He argued Democrats needed to rally behind President Joe Biden in 2024, warning that any primary bid against Biden would only help former President Donald Trump, who is widely expected to win the Republican nomination.
“Let me say something that might be uncomfortable,” Fetterman said. “There are two additional Democrats running for Pennsylvania—excuse me, running for president right now,” Fetterman said. “One is a congressman from Minnesota, the other one is the governor of California, but only one has the guts to announce it.”
Fetterman was referring to Newsom and Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who launched a primary bid against Biden last month, citing Biden’s age and poor approval ratings.
“This is about how people feel,” Phillips said last month. “It’s about how people feel—people want to turn the page, I think that’s fair to say.”
Fetterman argued that even criticizing Biden is a step too far.
“If you are a Democrat that wants to criticize and go after Joe Biden, our president, just go ahead and write a check for Trump,” Fetterman reportedly said, according to NBC News.
Despite longstanding concerns that Fetterman may have suffered lasting brain damage as the result of a 2022 stroke that left some of his cognitive functions impaired, the outspoken progresive appears of late to have developed an outsize share of common sense befitting his 6-foot, 8-inch frame.
The Pennsylvania lawmaker has made headlines in recent weeks for coming out against his fellow Democrats on a number of issues.
He has blasted the leftist “Squad,” for example, over their opposition to Israel in its war against Hamas, and introduced a resolution last week that would ban Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., from receiving classified briefings after Menendez was indicted on bribery charges.
He also reportedly went after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., at the Iowa fundraiser over Manchin’s proposal to implement a formal dress code in the Senate.
At first I was really kind of angry [at him],” Fetterman said about Manchin. “And then I realized, well, he’s not going to be around much longer, and I’m going to get his parking space.”
Manchin, a former West Virginia governor, is likely to face the current office holder, Gov. Jim Justice, whom he once endorsed, in next year’s Senate race, although Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., is also among the political hopefuls running in the closely watched race to unseat the notorious centrist.
