Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman has criticised Kamala Harris for branding Donald Trump a “fascist” during the 2024 presidential campaign, arguing that such rhetoric unfairly labels his supporters. Speaking to Fox News, the Democrat said he “knew absolutely we lost the plot” when the then-vice-president made the remark.
Fetterman argued that calling a candidate a fascist implies that those who vote for them are also fascists or support fascism, which he said “is just not true”. He added that many Trump voters are “not Nazis, they’re not trying to destroy the Constitution” and simply have different priorities. The senator made a similar point to CNN last month, stating that one should never compare anyone to Hitler.
Harris indeed described Trump as a fascist during a CNN town hall, citing comments from his former chief of staff John Kelly. However, Trump also repeatedly called Harris a fascist during the campaign. Fetterman’s remarks come as Democrats grow concerned about his shift to the right, including joining Truth Social and backing several of Trump’s cabinet nominees.
Axios reported that top Democrats are planning to primary Fetterman in 2028, with Representatives Brendan Boyle, Chris Deluzio, and former representative Conor Lamb tipped as possible challengers. Fetterman dismissed the story as “clickbait” and has yet to announce a re-election bid. His fundraising has lagged, with a third-quarter haul of under $330,000, the lowest since February 2021.
A Quinnipiac poll showed Fetterman’s net approval rating at plus 8 points, an improvement from January, but his approval is higher among Republicans (41 points) than Democrats (21 points). In January, it was 70 points among Democrats and 59 among Republicans.
