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Fetterman praises Trump and McCormick in video
September 10, 2026
A surprise video from Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman played at the Republican midterm convention Wednesday night, with praise for Trump and for McCormick.
Fetterman holds one of Pennsylvania's two Senate seats as a Democrat, and McCormick, a Republican, holds the other; since July the two have raised money through a shared committee, which drew notice across party lines.
Key facts
- By The Guardian's count, the Democratic caucus holds 47 of the Senate's seats at present.
- NBC News reports that Fetterman turned up by video at the Republican midterm gathering, where he spoke well of Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Dave McCormick and highlighted his own cooperation with President Donald Trump.
- Gesturing toward a U.S. Steel plant visible behind him, Fetterman said, "That's exactly the kind of thing that we'll work together, and we'll work with President Trump, to fight and defend the steel way of life, right here in the Steel Valley."
- Eric Torrison, an Arizona resident, told The Guardian, "There is no way on God's green Earth that I would have supported Fetterman when he ran for the Senate, and [was] aghast when he got elected."
Fox News reports that Fetterman delivered a surprise video message at the Republican midterm convention on Wednesday night, praising Trump and McCormick while rejecting what he described as the Democratic Party's extremes and socialism. NBC News reports the same appearance, adding that Fetterman pointed to a U.S. Steel mill behind him and pledged to work with Trump to defend the steel way of life in the Steel Valley. The Guardian carries the same sequence of events. Axios and The New York Times also carry the cameo, and The Hill carries commentary from Stephen A. Smith casting the appearance as a rebuke of the Democrats who elected him.
The reaction is corroborated across the coverage. NBC News reports that former Fetterman aides called his decision to boost Republicans ahead of the midterm elections beyond the pale, and that Tre Easton, a former legislative aide, described the conduct as the behavior of a troll executed at stunning scale. The Guardian reports a statement from Pennsylvania state representative Malcolm Kenyatta calling on Fetterman to do his job or resign. NBC News also reports Fetterman's own answer: that his remarks introduced McCormick as a great American and friend, and an allied post on X blaming disloyal staff and anonymous leaks. The Guardian reports that the senator has been defending himself for a week against an account on X that claims to be run by former staffers.
The outlets also agree on the standing arrangement behind the appearance. Fox News reports that the two senators' campaigns formed a bipartisan joint fundraising committee in July, and that Democrats hold 47 seats in the Senate. What the video said, who said what about it, and the fundraising arrangement are settled across NBC News, The Guardian and Fox News. What the appearance means for Fetterman's place in his party is not.
Explaining the video, he said, "My remarks introduced Dave McCormick as a great American and friend."
Still developing
The senator's own plans appear nowhere in the record: talk of going independent or fully switching runs through the coverage with no word from Fetterman himself, while Trump sits at 27% approval in the state and Democrats currently hold 47 Senate seats. The record also does not say who runs the X account that claims former staffers, by the time of draft.
How settled the reporting is
Sources
- Fox News — Dem senator delivers surprise video at Republican convention backing McCormick
- NBC News — Sen. John Fetterman makes a surprise cameo praising Republicans at the GOP convention - NBC News
- The Guardian — Democrat John Fetterman makes surprise appearance at Republican convention
- Axios — Fetterman praises Trump in bombshell GOP convention video
- The Hill — Stephen A. Smith: Fetterman ‘pretty much spitting in the face of Democrats who elected him’