Trump Says He Would Welcome Fetterman as a Republican

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he would welcome Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania into the Republican Party, renewing attention to the senator’s political future. Fetterman continues to identify as a Democrat, and his previously stated position is that he does not intend to switch parties; the latest reports do not establish a change in his affiliation. Trump made the remarks to reporters at Joint Base Andrews as he returned from a rally in Tennessee. Asked whether he would welcome Fetterman as a Republican, Trump said he would and described the senator as a solid person with common sense. Trump also asserted that Fetterman performs better in polls as a Republican than as a Democrat. The reports reviewed do not establish that Fetterman intends to change parties. Fetterman wrote in May that he would be a poor Republican because he still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats. He has also described himself as a lifelong Democrat. His office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Trump’s latest remarks, according to reports published Sunday.