Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said Sunday that President Donald Trump should "do something positive" like resolving the US war in Iran rather than continuing to fixate on the 2020 election defeat. In an interview on CNN's State of the Union, Fetterman criticized Trump for dedicating a primetime address to claims of Chinese meddling in the 2020 race, which Trump lost to Joe Biden.
Fetterman: Focus on Iran, Not 2020
"I don't know why the president is dragging up all this stuff," Fetterman said. "You're the president. Do something positive – and you are talking about 2020; that's been settled over six years ago." He added that revisiting the election "distracts from important things, especially like the Iranian war right now."
Trump's Thursday address reignited baseless claims of electoral fraud, despite non-partisan voting experts confirming the 2020 election was secure. A 2021 US intelligence community assessment concluded that no foreign actor, including China, altered any technical aspect of the voting process.
Fetterman's Political Crossroads
Fetterman's comments come amid a pivotal stretch in his political career. On Wednesday, he said he would consider leaving the Democratic party if it ever became "the anti-Israel party." This came after over 100 US House lawmakers voted to halt Israeli military aid over incursions into Gaza and Lebanon.
Since joining the Senate in 2023, Fetterman has emerged as a prominent Democratic advocate for Israel. He acknowledged Republican attempts to convince him to defect, as some Democratic colleagues have backed away from traditional support for Israel amid genocide accusations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. However, Fetterman said he disagrees with most Republican policies and has no interest in switching parties.
Trump's Persistent Election Lies
Trump has long claimed the 2020 election was rigged against him, despite no evidence of widespread fraud. During his 2024 campaign, he conceded on a podcast that he lost "by a whisker," but later said that statement was sarcastic. On Thursday, he revived claims of Chinese interference, drawing warnings from opponents that he may meddle in upcoming midterm elections.
Fetterman, who was Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor in 2020, affirmed the election's integrity: "Pennsylvania … picked Joe Biden in 2020. That's a fact." He called the results "absolutely secure, fair and accurate."
