Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) said the Democratic Party has made its own mistakes with a targeted demographic of voters, much like the GOP.
“We have a challenge. We have our own kind of ‘childless cat ladies’ situation: ‘Bros.’ People refer to these young guys as bros, and clearly that’s not a positive term,” Fetterman told the outlet Semafor in an article published Friday.
“They’re described as dopes, or gullible, or brutes. People were really shocked when the whole childless cat ladies thing dropped, and it is dumb,” he added, referencing a 2021 comment from Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) that resurfaced after he was chosen as President-elect Trump’s running mate. The remark was in the news for weeks.
“That violates the basic, basic rule of politics. Don’t subtract, do addition,” said Fetterman.
While Vice President Harris earned the votes of young women, Trump made gains with an audience of white, Black and Latino Gen Z males.
“I think that was part of the new coalition that really delivered a pretty crushing victory for Trump,” Fetterman stated.
The senator noted Trump’s ability to capture the heart of Pennsylvania voters, likening his impact to celebrity Taylor Swift.
Fetterman said the GOP’s branding of Harris as an advocate for transgender rights as an undermining factor in her leadership.
“And it’s undeniable that Republicans created a really powerful message: ‘She’s for they/them, and Trump is for you. That was, I think, our cycle’s version of ‘Where’s the beef?’ or, ‘I knew Jack Kennedy, and you’re no Jack Kennedy,’” he told Semafor. “That kept hitting again and again and again and again for tens of millions of dollars. It had an earworm quality. And I’m not surprised that that resonated.”
The Keystone State leader often credits Trump’s survived assassination attempt in July in Butler, Pa., as a point of connection between the former president and voters.
“I knew it was going to be a tough cycle. And that assassination attempt — that was an incredibly powerful visual. Can you imagine if somebody had a bullet hit Obama, and he had that moment: You know, ‘fight, fight, fight,’” he asked. “Can you imagine how that would have resonated for Democrats? That’s never happened in American political history.”
Fetterman also highlighted tech giant Elon Musk’s support of Trump and $1 million giveaways as a reliable source to bolster the Republican’s campaign.
“It was very strange that Democrats ran on, he’s a convicted felon. I thought our party was more about criminal justice reform,” said Fetterman. “You stack the Elon Musk factor on top of that. He is incredibly compelling to a demographic in my state. He’s like Tony Stark. I thought it was just dumb to attack him or imply that he might be breaking the law with his $1 million checks, because, to me, that just projects weakness.”
