Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday dismissed recent criticism from Sen. John Fetterman, labeling the Pennsylvania Democrat “out of touch” during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Fetterman has recently voiced frustration with members of his own party over immigration, positions on Israel, and support for socialist candidates. When host Kristen Welker asked about those comments, Sanders pointed to Fetterman’s standing among Pennsylvania voters.
“Well, my response to Fetterman is last time I saw it, he was reflecting the views of about 19% of the Democrats in the state of Pennsylvania, I think probably lower than any other member of the Democratic Senate,” Sanders said. “Fetterman does his thing, I think on Israel and many other issues, is way out of touch with the people of America.”
Welker also pressed the Vermont independent on his support for Graham Platner, a Maine candidate who faced a series of scandals—including past allegations of abuse, calls for violence, and a sexual assault accusation from an ex-girlfriend—before ending his campaign.
Sanders addressed his decision to withdraw support following the sexual assault allegation.
“There were very serious allegations against Platner,” Sanders said. “As a result of those accusations, I and virtually all of his supporters requested that he withdraw from the race, and he did.”
When Welker asked if he regretted endorsing Platner, Sanders declined to express regret for the initial backing.
“Platner ran a very strong campaign, and in fact, many of the issues that he’s raised are resonating all over this country,” Sanders said. “A woman made very serious allegations against him. He withdrew from the race, period.”
Welker pressed further, asking if Sanders wished he could go back and change his stance. Sanders shifted the focus to broader progressive efforts nationwide.
“I’ll tell you, you know, I think right now we’re looking at a campaign in Michigan, we’re looking at a campaign in Minnesota,” Sanders said. “The people of this country right now are sick and tired of establishment politics and establishment policies. They want change and I and other progressives are going to do everything that we can to bring about those changes.”
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