Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is planning to meet with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, the first Democrat in the upper chamber to publicly make the trek after the 2024 election.
Fetterman said that Trump invited him and he accepted. The meeting is expected to take place this weekend, according to a person familiar with the plans.
“I’m the Senator for all Pennsylvanians — not just Democrats in Pennsylvania,” he said in a statement, confirming news first reported by CBS. “I’ve been clear that no one is my gatekeeper. I will meet with and have a conversation with anyone if it helps me deliver for Pennsylvania and the nation.”
Fetterman must walk a careful political tightrope in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, which Trump won in November. Republicans also carried several down-ballot races in the state, including by ousting Fetterman’s former colleague and friend, ex-Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.
In the wake of the election, Fetterman was the first Senate Democrat to sponsor the Laken Riley Act cracking down on illegal immigration. He has also said he would vote for Trump’s United Nations ambassador pick Elise Stefanik and spoken positively about billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk.
A former Fetterman campaign staffer said of the news: “This is such a ‘pick-me’ move by John. I obviously hate it but it’s also kind of hilarious and epic.”
