Democratic Sen. John Fetterman appears in surprise video at GOP midterm convention

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Democratic Sen. John Fetterman praised his fellow senator from his home state, GOP Sen. Dave McCormick, in a surprise video appearance at the GOP midterm convention, and condemned the rise of far-left voices in his own party.

In the roughly one-minute video introducing McCormick on stage, Fetterman made clear that he is still a Democrat but took aim at the rise of “socialism” in his own party.

“Yes, I’m a Democrat. Why am I here talking to you today? Because well, I’m a common sense Democrat. I’m always going to stand with America. I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life,” Fetterman said in the pre-recorded video.

Fetterman also said he will work with President Trump to defend “the steel way of life.”

“We’ll work with President Trump to fight and defend the steel way of life right here in the steel valley,” he said.

Fetterman praised McCormick as “the kind of senator that gets the job done.”

“I’m proud to count him as my friend,” he said.

Fetterman is perhaps Trump’s closest Democratic ally in Congress, but the video is an unusual move for the first-term senator, who skipped his own party’s convention in 2024 and has become an increasingly divisive figure among Democrats.

“How great is John Fetterman, right?” McCormick said when he took the stage after the video message. “Thank you Senator Fetterman for your friendship, thank you for your courage and thank you for all you do for Pennsylvania.”

Fetterman, who is strongly pro-Israel, has spent months distancing himself from the rest of his party, voting for some of Trump’s nominees and backing the president’s military actions in the Middle East. He has previously told CNN’s Manu Raju that he does not plan to leave the party unless it becomes officially “anti-Israel.”

贾斯汀·沙利文/盖蒂图片社

民主党参议员约翰·费特曼在共和党中期选举大会上通过一段出人意料的视频露面，赞扬了来自他家乡的共和党参议员戴夫·麦考密克，并谴责了自己党内极左声音的抬头。

在介绍麦考密克上台的大约一分钟的视频中，费特曼明确表示他仍然是民主党人，但同时抨击了自己党内“社会主义”的抬头。

“是的，我是一名民主党人。我今天为什么会在这里和你们谈话？因为我是一个务实的民主党人。我永远与美国站在一起。我永远反对极端主义、社会主义以及那种反美的生活方式，”费特曼在预先录制的视频中说道。

费特曼还表示，他将与特朗普总统合作，捍卫“钢铁行业的生存方式”。

他说：“我们将与特朗普总统合作，捍卫钢铁谷的钢铁生活方式。”

费特曼称赞麦考密克是“那种能把事情做好的参议员”。

“我很荣幸能把他视为我的朋友，”他说。

费特曼或许是特朗普在国会中最亲密的民主党盟友，但对于这位第一任参议员来说，这段视频是一个不同寻常的举动。他缺席了自己党在 2024 年的代表大会，并且在民主党内部越来越具有争议性。

“约翰·费特曼真是太棒了，对吧？”麦考密克在视频致辞结束后走上讲台说道。“感谢费特曼参议员的友谊，感谢您的勇气，感谢您为宾夕法尼亚州所做的一切。”

费特曼是坚定的亲以色列人士，几个月来他一直与党内其他成员保持距离，投票支持特朗普的部分提名人选，并支持总统在中东的军事行动。他此前曾告诉CNN的马努·拉朱，除非民主党正式成为“反以色列”政党，否则他不打算退党。