Donald Trump openly encouraged Democratic US Senator John Fetterman to switch parties and become a Republican on Saturday, October 10, 2026. The comments were made to reporters at Joint Base Andrews as Trump returned to Washington DC from a rally in Tennessee.
Trump stated, "I’d love to see him as a Republican," adding that Fetterman "does better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat." These remarks are among the most direct overtures by Trump to persuade Fetterman to join the Republican party.
Fetterman, who was elected to the Senate in 2022, has previously rejected the notion of becoming a Republican. In May, he wrote in the Washington Post that he would be a "terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats." However, he has split with Democrats on issues such as immigration and Israel, and recorded a video in September for the Republican midterm convention praising Republican Senator Dave McCormick.
The Republican party faces the prospect of losing its Senate majority in the upcoming November midterm elections. Democrats need to gain four seats to retake control of the Senate.