Sen. John Fetterman Says That His Near-Death Experience Inspired Him To Abandon ‘Progressive Ideas’

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) claimed that a near-death experience with a stroke caused him to leave progressive ideas behind.

In early June, Fetterman revealed that he was moving away from the “progressive” label he used to embrace. He was criticized by some within his party for his opinions on critical issues, specifically his support for Israel and concerns regarding border security.

He recognized that the “progressive” label was no longer a good fit for him. 

Fetterman discussed the supposed impact of his near-death during an interview with  Bill Maher on Real Time With Bill Maher.

He publicly talked about his battles with a stroke and depression. Maher asked if that played a part in letting him speak so freely.

“It’s freeing in a way,” Fetterman said. “And I just think after beating all of that, I just really [want to] be able to say the things that I have to really believe in and not be afraid of if there’s any kind of blowback.”

Maher then asked the Pennsylvania senator what he meant when he said that he is not a progressive, he is a Democrat.

“I didn’t leave the label, it left me on that,” Fetterman stated. “After what happened on October 7 [the Hamas attack on Israel], I always really knew that – that whole progressive stack would be blasted apart and there are not gonna be any kind of way how the Democrats are going to be able to – to reply to that kind of response.”

“And I really decided early on that I believe that was gonna be the right side with Israel throughout all of that,” he added. “And I knew that was gonna be – Democrats would continue to peel away and kind of walk away from standing with Israel on that…. Some of the most progressive and left parts of the Democratic Party are – are standing for the kind of side that have kinds of organizations like Hamas or these kinds of nations that there are no rights for – for women and they certainly don’t embrace the LGBTQ kinds of lifestyle.”

“And even in Philadelphia, the Queers for Palestine blocked the Pride Parade in Philadelphia; I never saw that on the bingo card,” the senator then stated jokingly. 

In late April, Fetterman said that anti-Israel protesters were “a-holes” in response to progressives who attacked Israel. 

He also said that these protests do not “make you noble.” Even though he slammed these protests, he clarified that he supports the right to protest and to have different opinions. 

Fetterman mentioned that the issue is when protests “disrupt lives,” including the large-scale marches, which block public streets and highways.

The senator has publicly conveyed support for Israel. He also said he was “appalled” by how “crazy” it was that many Democrats did not quickly condemn Iran for attacking Israel.

In early May, Fetterman called out pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, stating that they are “pup tents” for the militant group Hamas.