Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman has reiterated that he is done with the insanity gripping his party. In a series of raw appearances on Bill Maher’s show and a new Washington Post op-ed, Fetterman is torching the reflexive anti-Trump obsession, the normalization of radical left ideas once dismissed as smears, and the sloppy 24-hour news cycle that turns opinions into “news.”
Fetterman made clear he refuses to play along with the extremes. “My colleagues and people that are running, whether for the Senate where the House, they are literally running on f*ck Trump,” he said.
“I mean, that’s literally—they have campaign commercials with that. It’s absurd,” he noted, adding “And we are getting to that point and I refuse to engage in that extreme, those terms. And we have to find a better way forward.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA): “My colleagues and people that are running, whether for the Senate where the House, they are literally running on f*ck Trump.”
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) May 9, 2026
“I mean, that's literally—they have campaign commercials with that. It's absurd.”
“And we are getting to that point and I… pic.twitter.com/A0MselRgIS
Fetterman repeated the sentiments in an op-ed in The Washington Post, titled “I Haven’t Changed. Here’s What Has,” writing “My party cannot simply be the opposite of whatever President Donald Trump says.”
He stresses, “Working across the aisle is the only way forward” and calls “pointless pile-ons and attacks” unproductive. Fetterman highlights once-mainstream Democratic positions on border security, support for Israel, and avoiding government shutdowns that have now become “toxic” to the party’s fringe base.
He declares, “Someone who comes here illegally and commits a violent crime should be deported. Full stop.”
"It doesn’t matter if my colleague is in my party or across the aisle," Sen. @JohnFetterman writes.
— Washington Post Opinions (@PostOpinions) May 7, 2026
"My focus remains on working together to find wins and deliver for my constituents." https://t.co/d0g5KorSXj
Fetterman also backed practical security measures that even some on the left are now acknowledging make sense. Discussing President Trump’s plans for a new White House ballroom, Fetterman revealed he had a clear view of the latest assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“I was two tables away at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. I witnessed this,” he said. When Maher asked if he meant two tables from the attempt, Fetterman replied, “Yeah. I had to see that. Like the entire line of succession was right there and realized that we’ve put, there’s real danger there. We got really lucky there, for a lot of reasons. We need to have a more secure place to do these kinds of events.”
He added bluntly, “I don’t care about the ballroom.” Maher agreed, telling his audience, “I don’t either. Yeah. I mean, it’s like so stupid. It’s such a Rorschach test of whether you just hate. We saw with the assassination attempt a couple of weeks ago. America probably does need [it]… This is America and we don’t want people sitting in tents to have dinner.” The liberal crowd actually applauded.
Even Bill Maher’s liberal audience is now APPLAUDING after he says Trump’s ballroom plans actually make sense.
— The Vigilant Fox ? (@VigilantFox) May 9, 2026
John Fetterman was two tables away from the latest assassination attempt, and he says he saw the “entire line of succession” flashing before his eyes.
FETTERMAN: “I… pic.twitter.com/AZT0OIELVm
Fetterman didn’t stop there. He went after the left’s embrace of ideas that were once political poison. “People who are proud to be labeled as a socialist, that was like a smear… They are MORONS if they think that socialism is the answer,” he declared.
Maher noted that even “communist” is no longer viewed as a dirty word on the left, pointing to a New York official tweeting “elect more communists” and referencing Graham Platner.
Fetterman concurred, “Yeah, it’s not a slur if I refer to him as a communist. That’s his own term that he used for himself.” Maher called it “a watershed mark, a moment in American history where we should pay attention.”
Bill Maher and John Fetterman share growing concerns that “communist” is no longer viewed as a smear on the left.
— The Vigilant Fox ? (@VigilantFox) May 9, 2026
FETTERMAN: “People who are proud to be labeled as a socialist, that was like a smear… They are MORONS if they think that socialism is the answer.”
MAHER: “You said… pic.twitter.com/AXfZoICyRP
The senator saved some of his sharpest fire for the media itself. Fired up in a way viewers rarely see from him, Fetterman ripped the 24-hour news cycle for turning opinions into facts. “Opinions have become actual real news [now]… Opinions are NOT NEWS,” he said.
“There are so many shitty takes out there in the world now. Like, why? Why are people still talking about Tucker Carlson or any of these people? Even Alex Jones is back. I have to see that asshole my feed. You know why? Because they are criticizing Trump.”
“I’m so tired opinions have become news, and now there’s countless, countless ones, and it’s all become sloppy,” he urged.
Maher also noted the legacy of CNN co-founder Ted Turner and the rise of nonstop “breaking news” even when there is none.
John Fetterman gets surprisingly passionate as he criticizes the 24-hour news cycle turning opinions into “news.”
— The Vigilant Fox ? (@VigilantFox) May 9, 2026
It’s not often you see Fetterman this fired up. You can tell Fetterman had been holding this in for a while.
MAHER: “What is the legacy of [CNN co-founder] Ted… pic.twitter.com/3hXlMWZfU1
Fetterman remains a Democrat who says he is “strongly pro-choice, pro-weed, pro-LGBT, pro-SNAP, pro-labor” and would make a “terrible Republican” who still votes overwhelmingly with his party. Yet he keeps delivering bipartisan results—backing a border bill to stop an “influx the size of Pittsburgh,” the Laken Riley Act, infrastructure deals, and efforts against fentanyl and for Israel. His willingness to call out the party’s shift toward the fringe shows how far some Democrats have drifted from what used to be common sense.
Even as the left doubles down on rage and radicalism, Fetterman’s blunt admissions reveal the growing cracks. Americans are tired of the circus. They want secure borders, and real results.
Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.
More news on our radar
