Headline USA reports that President Donald Trump openly encouraged Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania to switch parties just weeks before the midterm elections.
What Trump said
“I’d love to see him as a Republican,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews as he returned to Washington from a rally in Tennessee, according to Headline USA. “He does better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat.”
A video clip posted by the account Rapid Response 47 on Oct. 11, 2026, appears to show Trump praising Fetterman and saying he has “great common sense.” DailyHeadlines.com has not independently verified the clip.
Where Fetterman stands
Fetterman has repeatedly rejected becoming a Republican. In a May Washington Post opinion piece, he wrote he would be a “terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats.”
Headline USA also reported that Fetterman recorded a video for the Republican midterm convention last month praising Republican Sen. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania and saying, “I’m always going to stand with America. I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life.” A representative for Fetterman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, per the outlet.
Why it matters
Headline USA framed Trump’s overture as notable with Senate control at stake in next month’s elections and cited past party switches that reshaped the chamber, including Sen. Jim Jeffords leaving the GOP in 2001 and former Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter departing the GOP in 2009.
