Fetterman Rips His Alma Mater, Says Harvard Was ‘Always a Little Pinko’ But Now He Doesn’t Even ‘Recognize It’
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Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) tore into his alma mater in a Friday interview with Semafor, declaring that he no longer can “recognize” Harvard as the school he once attended.
Fetterman and Harvard have both made headlines in recent months. Fetterman has surprised many with his steadfast support for Israel in the face of progressive protests and has gone so far as to publicly disavow the label. Meanwhile, Harvard has been accused of allowing anti-Semitism to fester on campus and for its president’s controversial appearance at a Congressional hearing on the topic and subsequent resignation over widespread plagiarism.
Semafor’s David Weigel asked Fetterman about his support for Israel in the past, including why he opposes the Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement.
“Because Israel is really a beacon of the kind of values, the American values and progressive ideals, that you want to see,” Fetterman replied, adding:
In that region, it’s our strongest ally, and we have a very special kind of relationship. I don’t understand how anybody could vote against the Iron Dome, or want to harm Israeli businesses or the nation or anything. I’ll never understand that. Calling them “colonizers” — like, where does this come from? It must be TikTok or some kind of obscure classroom talk. As an alum of Harvard — look, I graduated 25 years ago, and of course it was always a little pinko. But now, I don’t recognize it.
Weigel followed up by asking Fetterman what changed for him since the days he was aligned with progressive icon Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
“Back in 2015 and 2016, there were things Bernie was working on that were considered kind of extreme. Like we should have a $15 an-hour minimum wage, health care is a basic, fundamental human right, marijuana should be legal. But that whole label has just been hijacked to such a weird, extreme place,” Fetterman replied, adding:
The thing is, though — I was surprised that when I said I wasn’t a progressive, that it made news. I’ve been saying that for years. Even before the [2022] primary, I did an interview where I said that. Those earlier progressive kinds of beliefs have now become political boilerplate. What really is a progressive now? With respect to Israel, that’s just not something that I identify as anymore.
Wiegel also asked Fetterman, “Do you expect more Democrats to turn against the war and call for a ceasefire?”
“More and more of my colleagues are calling for it. It’s so strange. Why aren’t you calling for Hamas to surrender? If Hamas surrendered, and turned over their guns, all the killing and all the misery would,” Fetterman replied.
Read the full interview here.
