U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, called out members of his own party for their protests during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday night.
“A sad cavalcade of self-owns and unhinged petulance. It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained,” Fetterman wrote Wednesday afternoon on the social media platform X.
“We’re becoming the metaphorical car alarms that nobody pays attention to — and it may not be the winning message,” Fetterman added.
The post included a screenshot of a Politico headline, “ ’Giving Bingo’: Democrats’ silent protest against Trump falls flat.”
That story detailed how some Democrats attending Trump’s address responded with silent protests that included wearing pink and waving signs with messages such as “Save Medicaid,” “Protect Veterans” and “Musk Steals.”
Several Democrats walked out of the House chamber before Trump concluded his speech, while others opted to skip the speech altogether.
Not all Democrats protested silently.
Shortly after Trump began speaking, U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, interrupted and heckled him, yelling, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid.” He was escorted out of the chamber after he refused to stop shouting.
There were other unintelligible shouts and mocking laughter from some Democrats during the speech.
Fetterman’s office did not respond to questions about Wednesday’s social media post.
The post is the latest example of Fetterman going against party norms and breaking from Democrats on certain issues.
Once considered a rising progressive star, a label he now eschews, Fetterman has faced backlash from some on the left for his support of Israel and tougher immigration laws and for showing an openness to working with Trump. Fetterman became the first Democratic senator to meet with Trump after he was reelected, traveling to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to do so.
This year, Fetterman has voted to confirm 10 of Trump’s Cabinet-level nominees, more than any other Democrat in the Senate, according to a Washington Post report. He also voted against seven nominees and did not vote on three others, Senate records show.
Fetterman faced more backlash after he became the only Senate Democrat to vote to confirm Pam Bondi as attorney general.
In an interview with TribLive last month, Fetterman said he has not abandoned his party and is not in lockstep with Trump or Republicans, despite finding common ground with them on certain issues.
“I am responsive, and I don’t see the Republicans as the enemy or absolutely the only thing that’s wrong with the world,” Fetterman said.
The Associated Press contributed.