Trump is uniting the country. Even some on the Left can’t help but come around.
And now a leading Democrat made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago that no one saw coming.
Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman has announced plans to meet with President-elect Donald Trump ahead of Trump’s second inauguration on January 20.
This meeting marks a rare moment of outreach between a high-profile Democratic senator and the former president.
“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 plans revealed that the meeting is set to take place over the weekend at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private estate in Florida. Notably, this will be the first known meeting between Trump and a sitting Democratic senator at the exclusive venue.
Fetterman, who endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election cycle, has been one of the few Democrats willing to publicly acknowledge Trump’s enduring appeal among voters, particularly in battleground states like Pennsylvania.
Trump’s strong support in the state helped secure his electoral victory in 2024, a point Fetterman has candidly discussed in past interviews.
“There’s a difference between not understanding, but also acknowledging that it exists,” Fetterman told The New York Times in October, referring to Trump’s support in Pennsylvania. “And anybody who spends time driving around, and you can see the intensity. It’s astonishing.”
In a separate interview ahead of the election, Fetterman noted the unique connection Trump has with Pennsylvania voters.
“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,” he said during a November appearance on CNN’s State of the Union.
Trump ultimately won Pennsylvania in 2024, a critical state in his path to securing the presidency.
Reflecting on the results, Fetterman called it a “serious flex” and criticized Democratic strategies that leaned on portraying Trump and his supporters in overly harsh terms.
“I think this election was a serious flex for bros,” Fetterman remarked.
“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 also pushed back on labeling Trump supporters as extremists.
“I love people that are absolutely going to vote for Trump. They’re not fascists. They’re not those things,” he said.
“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’s willingness to engage with Trump signals a pragmatic approach in his role as a senator, aiming to bridge divides in an era of sharp political polarization. Whether this meeting will yield tangible results remains to be seen, but it is certain to draw attention from both sides of the political spectrum.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
