Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) dismissed the idea of finding the next leader of the Democratic Party following the 2024 election, stating he is instead focused on the present work he faces as senator.
Following Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss to President-elect Donald Trump in the presidential election, some Democrats have been considered as possible candidates as the new face of the party, including Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Josh Shapiro (D-PA), and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. When Fetterman was asked his thoughts on the matter, however, the Pennsylvania senator contended his thoughts are on other topics.
“I don’t look for a leader in my party, it’s just like, ‘Hey, we’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing here, for me personally, in the Senate,’” Fetterman said on Fox News Sunday, guest-hosted by Gillian Turner. “Before the election, I tried to describe that if Trump wins, and if we don’t show up now, he’s going to get the House and the majority, he’s going to get the Senate, which that happened. And then now, you have the Supreme Court is now in a position with a 6-3 strong, conservative slant, so they’re going to be able to [do] a lot of things.”
Fetterman also floated the possibility that Trump could push for dropping the filibuster, as removing the roadblock of requiring 60 votes for legislation would make it easier for the Republican-controlled Senate to pass legislation before the 2026 midterm elections.
In regards to who he could vote to confirm among Trump’s Cabinet nominees, Fetterman spoke favorably of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), the president-elect’s nominee for secretary of state. The senator said he was a “fan” of Rubio and that he would “enthusiastically” vote in favor of him for the position.
Fetterman also addressed the possibility of voting to confirm Dr. Mehmet Oz as the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, stating he is “open” to hear what the nominee has to say. Oz and Fetterman previously ran against each other in Pennsylvania’s 2022 Senate race, with Fetterman stating he has no “bitterness” against his former opponent when looking back on their competition.
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Ahead of the confirmation of Trump’s nominees, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) argued that Senate Republicans recognize how Trump has “earned the right” to select who he wants in his Cabinet, and that Trump’s win gave him “a mandate” to enact the change voters demand. Some of the jobs the incoming Trump administration will have to achieve, Johnson assessed, include garnering public support for radical change by exposing the corruption within the government.
Last week, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) compared Trump’s Cabinet nominees to President Joe Biden’s, saying Democrats are “absolutely” putting form over substance, whereas Trump is focused on bringing “competency and reality” back to the nation. When asked about the possibility of working in Trump’s Cabinet, he confirmed Trump had not asked him about any nomination and that he was “not surprised” the president-elect had not come to him, choosing to keep his next steps in his political career to himself.
