Sen. John Fetterman delivered a sharp rebuke of his own party this week, accusing Democrats of becoming consumed by “Trump Derangement Syndrome” while defending President Trump’s handling of the growing conflict involving Iran.
During a podcast interview with libertarian journalist Nick Gillespie, the Pennsylvania Democrat broke with much of his party by expressing confidence in the Trump administration’s national security leadership, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
“100%, I trust the Trump administration, and Trump a hell of a lot more than I would ever trust the Iranians or the Chinese or the Russians,” Fetterman said during the interview. He warned Democrats against allowing blind opposition to President Trump to dominate every foreign policy discussion.
“We are all Americans. That’s what we’re forgetting,” Fetterman added. “The Democratic Party can’t become the TDS party. And clearly that’s where we are right now.”
?NEW: John Fetterman??
“100% I trust the Trump administration and Trump a h*ll of a lot more than I would ever trust the Iranians, Chinese or Russians … We are all Americans.”
“The Democratic Party can’t become the TDS Party … And clearly that’s where we are right now.” pic.twitter.com/7KvqfqoLCZ
— Jason Cohen ?? (@JasonJournoDC) May 13, 2026
While Fetterman noted he does not agree with every aspect of how the conflict has been discussed publicly, he strongly defended efforts to confront the Iranian regime and criticized what he described as glaring double standards among many progressives.
“We have a nuclear power at the cusp, and it’s entirely appropriate to hold them accountable for what they’ve done,” Fetterman said. He also questioned why many activists who loudly condemned Israel’s military actions in Gaza remained largely silent about Iran’s brutal repression of its own citizens.
The senator pointed to reports that the Iranian regime killed tens of thousands of protesters during crackdowns against anti-government demonstrations, arguing that many Western activists showed little concern for those victims.
“The same people that were outraged about the war in Gaza, they gave no f*cks about Iran executing 30,000, 40,000 of its young people,” Fetterman said. “Zero college campuses.”
Since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel, Fetterman has increasingly separated himself from the Democratic Party’s activist wing and emerged as one of the Senate’s strongest pro-Israel Democrats. His outspoken support for Israel has frequently placed him at odds with progressive activists and some members of his own party.
When Gillespie asked why so many activists appeared deeply engaged on Gaza while remaining indifferent to Iranian government abuses, Fetterman gave a blunt response.
“It’s because the rifles weren’t in Jewish hands,” he said, accusing parts of the political left and American universities of fostering growing antisemitism and ideological indoctrination.
Fetterman went even further, arguing that today’s Democratic Party has become “intensely anti-Israel” despite Israel being the only democracy in the region that shares core Western values.
“And it’s strange to me,” Fetterman said, “the most progressive part of the American conversation, we won’t stand, and we will betray the one single nation in the region that has the kinds of values and lives the way it has.”
?NEW: Nick Gillespie: “What would drive people to care that much about Gaza and then not care about Iranian protesters being killed?”
John Fetterman: “It’s because the rifles weren’t in Jewish hands.” pic.twitter.com/xzzLPSU646
— Jason Cohen ?? (@JasonJournoDC) May 13, 2026
The post John Fetterman Blasts Democrats As Party Of ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ appeared first on Real News Now.
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