Fetterman Warns Democrats May Not Have Learned Their Lesson, May Have Lost Key Demographic Forever

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) warned in an interview this week that Democrats appear to have not learned their lesson in the 2024 elections and that they may have lost the support of white men forever because of how extreme the party has become.

Fetterman made the remarks during an interview with reporter Tara Palmeri this week when asked why the party was viewed as “toxic” by so many people, including Democrats.

“I think their primary currency was shaming and scolding and talking down to people and telling them, ‘Hey, I know better than you,’ or ‘you’re dopes,’ or ‘you’re a bro,’ or ‘you’re ignorant,’ or, you know, ‘How can you be this dumb? I can’t imagine it,'” Fetterman said.

The senator also slammed the party for calling Republicans “fascists” and trying to shame people who voted for the GOP.

“When you’re in a state like Pennsylvania, like I know and I love people that voted for Trump, and they’re not fascists,” he said. “They don’t support insurrection and those things.”

He said that Democrats have become “extreme” and fringe to the point where they have lost the argument.

Fetterman said that Democrats have lost the ability to understand average Americans and their desire to have someone who is looking out for them.

“For me, I describe the 2024 election was not about obscure kinds of policies,” he said. “It’s a gut check kind of vote, and [people asked] themselves, who is going to protect or project my personal view of the American way of life? And who’s the better match for what I believe is the American way of life?”

He warned that the party’s decision to elect Ken Martin to lead the DNC was a mistake because of all the extreme stances he has taken on issues like abolishing ICE and defunding the police.

“I’m concerned that we really haven’t paid attention on what happened,” he said. “And have we looked up at the scoreboard and been like, oh, by the way, we’ve lost?”

When asked how Democrats can win back white men, he said that it may not be possible at this point.

“I don’t know and truthfully, I’m not sure if that’s possible, to be honest,” he said. “I think that’s been seriously eroding for a while.”

He said that in a lot of conversations he has had with voters, many of them look at the Democrat Party and see a party that just demonizes men and masculinity as “toxic.”

Fetterman said that Democrats have also sent the message that people must “conform to our very strict kinds of definition of what we think is appropriate.”

“Once we’ve kind of turned their back on that demographic, it’s going to be difficult to rebuild and replace that with those voters,” he said, adding that issues like mass migration have further damaged the party’s standing with white men.

WATCH:

John Fetterman explains why Democrat party brand is toxic, and is not sure the Democrats can ‘win white men back’:
Tara Palmeri: “Why is the Democratic Party viewed as toxic by so many? Even people inside the party acknowledge that.”
John Fetterman: “I think their primary… pic.twitter.com/q5BZXDdrbI

— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) February 6, 2025