John Fetterman said Wednesday that he would leave the Democratic Party if it officially became anti-Israel. He made the warning during an interview at the Hill Nation Summit in Washington, where he said the condition would be a moral certainty for him.
He said he is increasingly concerned that the party is moving away from its traditional support for Israel. Fetterman also argued that more left-wing and radical factions are gaining greater influence within the Democratic Party.
Hill Nation Summit in Washington
Fetterman tied that concern to the debate over Thomas Massie’s proposal to eliminate approximately $3.3 billion in annual security aid to Israel. He said growing support among Democrats for the proposal worried him, while Hakeem Jeffries opposed it and Katherine Clark supported it.
He also pointed to recent victories in Democratic primaries by candidates who took highly critical stances toward Israel. By his account, those results are part of the same shift he sees inside the party, and he framed the question as whether the party is still willing to hold a pro-Israel line.
Bernie Sanders for Graham Platner of
Fetterman said he was angry at people like Bernie Sanders for backing Graham Platner. He said, “As a Democrat, I'm angry at people like Bernie Sanders, who backed that alleged rapist. Why did so many people on the left embrace that alleged rapist?” He added that Graham Platner’s campaign collapsed after a woman accused him of raping her in 2021.
He also said some Republicans have suggested in private conversations that he switch parties, but he did not disclose further details. For now, his line is narrower than a formal switch: he stays unless the Democratic Party makes an anti-Israel position official, and he said that would cross a line he will not accept.
