The Left is fracturing. And some are jumping ship to the other side.
Now this top Democrat Senator broke ranks to join forces with Donald Trump.
Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman has thrown his support behind President Trump’s bold proposal to deploy U.S. troops to Gaza as part of a massive rebuilding effort in the war-torn Palestinian territory.
“The Palestinians have refused, or they’ve been unwilling, to deliver a government that provided security and economic development for themselves,” Fetterman, one of the Democratic Party’s strongest pro-Israel voices, told Jewish Insider after Trump’s stunning announcement alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday night.
“They allowed 10/7 to occur, and now Gaza has to be rebuilt. Where are the people going to live? Where are they going to go? So it’s part of a conversation with where they’re at right now,” Fetterman continued.
“I don’t know what the role is, but they’re obviously a part of it, and I fully support.”
Trump made waves by telling reporters he envisions the U.S. “taking over the Gaza Strip” and relocating its roughly 2 million Palestinian residents to neighboring Arab nations.
When pressed on whether American forces would be sent to secure the Strip, Trump responded, “If it’s necessary, we’ll do that.”
However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified Wednesday that “the president has not committed to putting boots on the ground in Gaza.”
Trump elaborated on his vision, saying the U.S. would take responsibility for clearing dangerous unexploded ordnance, demolishing ruined buildings, and transforming the devastated enclave into an economic hub.
“We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings,” Trump said.
“Level it out and create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”
The proposal sparked immediate pushback, including from some of Trump’s own Republican allies. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called the idea “problematic at many, many levels,” while Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) dismissed it outright.
“Obviously, it’s not going to happen,” Tillis scoffed, quipping that there were “a few kinks in that slinky.”
But while many lawmakers distanced themselves from Trump’s plan, Fetterman stood nearly alone in backing it — another example of his willingness to break from his party to align with the 47th president.
This week alone, Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote for Attorney General Pam Bondi’s confirmation and one of just two Democrats to support new Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner.
He also became the first Democrat to visit Trump at Mar-a-Lago, accepting an invitation just before Trump was sworn in on Jan. 20.
“I’m not just a Senator for Democrats—I’m a Senator for all Pennsylvanians,” Fetterman explained on X. “It’s my job to find common ground and deliver results for everybody. And because nobody is my gatekeeper, I will meet with anyone to secure some wins, including President Trump.”
That doesn’t mean he’s blindly following Trump’s lead. Fetterman has pushed back on the president at times, including by signing a resolution condemning Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 defendants.
Still, his support for Trump’s Gaza plan has not gone unnoticed. Protests erupted outside his Philadelphia office on Wednesday, with demonstrators chanting “shame” in response to his stance.
“I’m so incredibly disappointed. I mean, what we need to do as Democrats right now is what Republicans did before—pull out all the stops and instead, we’re still trying to reach across the aisle as everything’s falling apart and going up in flames,” said 75-year-old demonstrator Diane Payne, speaking to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Fetterman’s unwavering pro-Israel stance has long set him apart from many in his party. Last year, he was named a “Defender of Israel” by the Zionist Organization of America — an honor previously bestowed on Trump himself.
Stay tuned to the Conservative Column.
