Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) reflects on Donald Trump's victory in November's presidential election, highlighting the moment he says cemented the election outcome.
In a New York Times interview published Wednesday, Fetterman was asked to assess whether the losses suffered by the Democratic Party this month were inevitable given anti-establishment sentiment worldwide.
“That's a question worth asking,” Fetterman said, before laying out a number of factors he believes played a major role in propelling Trump to victory.
One of these was the attempt on Trump's life at a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. A rally goer died as a result of the attack.
“I think some people seem to forget that, or how incredibly dangerous that was for a nation, God forbid, if he does [Trump] would have been fatally injured,” Fetterman said.
The gunman targeted Trump as he gave a speech at the campaign event, with the shooting wounding Trump's ear. As Secret Service agents moved too quickly to chase him away, the Republican politician raised his first into the air and said, “Fight!”
“But the kind of images and the kind of energy that came out of that, absolutely, I saw that on the ground in Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said. “I thought, well, that might be a ball game.”
Fetterman also re-emphasized the role that billionaire Elon Musk's support played in helping Trump shore up support from workers, a group that Democrats have struggled to gain traction.
“In my opinion, it's very rare for surrogates to have 'fanboys,'” Fetterman said while discussing Musk. “Make fun of him or make light of it, you do that at your own risk, because it's going to matter.”
The senator also urged his fellow Democrats to take time to process and come to terms with the election results, rather than panic.
“We really have to keep our pace, or… just grab a grip. Realize that this is how elections go,” he said.
Read more about Fetterman in The New York Times.
