‘Are You Out of Your F***ing Mind?’ Fetterman Aides Stunned After Senator Suggests He Could Be VP Nominee in 2028

Mariam Zuhaib/AP photo

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) suggested in a meeting with staff that he could be the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2028, according to New York magazine. The idea stunned aides, given Fetterman’s unpopularity within the party.

On Thursday, New York published a lengthy piece on Fetterman’s evolution into one of the Senate’s most fervent supporters of Israel, even as most of his Democratic colleagues have pumped the brakes on unconditional U.S. support for the country. The report details the outsized influence of an unpaid adviser named David “Dovi” Safier, “a writer of Jewish history and fundraiser for Orthodox causes.” New York noted that Safier has no known experience in government, let alone advising members of Congress. One Fetterman staffer told the publication that Safier “just kind of appeared” in Fetterman’s inner circle a few years ago.

The report comes a day after it was reported that the senator’s chief of staff quit, in what was yet another departure from an office that has seen a mass exodus during the first-term senator’s tenure. It was the third departure of a chief of staff since Fetterman took office in 2023.

“Fetterman’s dwindling inner circle has, by default, given Safier an unusually large influence,” New York said. “When he is on Capitol Hill, Safier will “hang out and sit in Fetterman’s office all day or walk with him to the floor,” a former staffer says. After their conversations, Fetterman would appear “far more radicalized,” the former staffer remembers. The chatter around the office is usually: “Oh God, Safier is here, and now John’s not gonna go to any of his meetings.”

The report said Fetterman had several calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that Safier always listens in.

Last summer, Fetterman, who has seen a negative 108-point swing in his net approval rating among Democrats, convened a meeting with top advisers and suggested he could be a viable candidate for the vice presidential nomination in 2028, when he is up for reelection in the Senate. The idea floored those in attendance:

The blowback Fetterman has received from Democratic voters has fueled the rumors that he might switch parties. His net approval rating among Pennsylvania Democrats has dropped 108 points since 2023, from plus 68 to minus 40, according to CNN. It’s a massive swing, and Fetterman has had trouble adjusting. Last summer, Fetterman called a rare meeting with senior staff to ruminate about his political future. The presidency still intrigued him (four staffers say he used to openly talk about running for president), but it had been a bruising few months. He floated something more realistic: vice-president on the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential ticket. “Almost all of us had our jaws on the floor, like, ‘Are you out of your f*cking mind? You don’t do your job, you can’t raise any money, and your entire party hates you,’” a person who was in the room says.

In recent weeks, Republicans have reportedly tried to woo Fetterman into switching parties. The GOP controls the Senate 53-47, but that majority is in jeopardy ahead of November’s midterms. Democrats would need a net gain of four seats to wrest control of the upper chamber. The senator has insisted that despite his occasional disagreements with his party, he will remain a Democrat.

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