The View’s Sunny Hostin Grills John Fetterman About His ‘Rightward Shift’
Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) touted his “record” and joked he’d make a “terrible Republican” when grilled by The View’s Sunny Hostin about his “rightward shift” and critics questioning his “commitment to the Democratic Party.”
Fetterman, who won a seat in the Senate as a progressive in 2022, has received criticism from those on the Democratic left for having broken on issues like immigration, fracking, Israel and meeting with President Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago.
During Monday’s episode of The View, Hostin ran back a clip of former former police officer Michael Fanone, who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, on MSNBC this week. Fanone name-dropped Fetterman, having publicly endorsed his run for office, as a lawmaker who “ran for the hills” and abandoned law enforcement when Trump pardoned rioters.
Hostin added that critics “on the left” have called out the senator for undergoing a “rightward shift.”
“What do you say to those who are now, in a sense, questioning your commitment to the Democratic Party?” she asked.
Fetterman began by refuting the idea he had changed and underscoring his disgust at the Jan. 6 pardons.
First, I just want to say I am so sorry for what happened to that officer. I mean, he’s had a heart attack. His life – he almost died. I mean, I have had a stroke, same thing. Absolute empathy, and just appalled for witnessing what happened on January 6th, and I absolutely would reject pardoning people that were involved in that.
As for rightward? That’s just… that just happens not to be true. I have been on record too saying I am not going to become a Republican, you know? Although maybe some people might be happy on one side, but I would make a pretty terrible Republican because, you know, pro-choice, pro-really strong immigration, pro-LGBTQ, you know, just pretty, like… I don’t think I would be a good fit.
So I’m not going to change my party, and if I am going to do, I’m going to show up. I’ll give you the exclusive. I can announce. So I can’t keep chasing down every last thing that’s online because they just happen not to be true. Just look at my votes. Look at the things… I haven’t changed in a way.
Co-host Ana Navarro jumped in at the mention of votes, to note that Fetterman had joined with his party colleagues in voting against Trump’s defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth but added that the senator was “a yes on Kristi Noem [and] on Marco Rubio.”
She said: “You’ve also taken meetings with some of the most controversial appointees. So the controversial ones are Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. Their hearings are set for later this week. Do you know how you’re going to vote yet?”
Fetterman remained guarded about his stance on remaining nominees and defended his decision to meet with even the controversial picks.
We, just like all of you, are going to watch the hearings and see how things go. And I was committed to having an open dialogue with anyone, and I’ve played it straight and that’s the same kind of rules that I play, and that’s what I extend to them, and I found that to be illuminating, and I was able to develop a more full and formed choice, and that’s what I have been doing there.
Some were real easy like Rubio. I mean, he’s incredibly qualified, and there’s other things that are going to be controversial, and you’re going to see some really controversial ones coming up this week, but now I can’t say I refuse to even spend some time just hearing them, directly from them, just having a conversation. And that’s what I’ve decided and I haven’t regretted it.
Watch above via ABC.
