A meeting with senior staff last summer turned tense when Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) floated the idea of joining the 2028 Democratic presidential ticket as the vice presidential nominee, according to a report published Thursday by New York magazine.
The suggestion reportedly stunned his top advisers, given the first-term senator’s steep decline in popularity among his own party’s voters. According to data cited by CNN, Fetterman’s net approval rating among Pennsylvania Democrats has experienced a 108-point swing since 2023, plummeting from plus 68 down to minus 40.
“Almost all of us had our jaws on the floor, like, ‘Are you out of your f*cking mind? You don’t do your job, you can’t raise any money, and your entire party hates you,’” an individual who attended the meeting told the publication.
The revelation follows news that Fetterman’s chief of staff recently resigned, marking the third chief of staff to depart since he took office in 2023 amid broader staff turnover.
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The New York magazine report heavily features the role of David “Dovi” Safier, an unpaid adviser described as a fundraiser for Orthodox causes and a writer of Jewish history. Safier, who has no formal background in government or congressional advising, reportedly joined Fetterman’s inner circle a few years ago. One current staffer noted that Safier “just kind of appeared.”
Former staff members indicated that Safier’s influence grew by default as the senator’s core team shrunk. Safier reportedly spends full days in Fetterman’s Capitol Hill office, walks with him to the Senate floor, and listens in on the senator’s phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“After their conversations, Fetterman would appear ‘far more radicalized,’ the former staffer remembers,” the report states, adding that employees frequently worried Safier’s presence would cause Fetterman to miss scheduled meetings.
Fetterman has emerged as one of the Senate’s most outspoken supporters of Israel, distancing himself from many Democratic colleagues who have urged limits on unconditional U.S. aid to the nation.
While Fetterman’s friction with progressives has prompted ongoing efforts by Republicans to convince him to switch parties, the senator has maintained that he will remain a Democrat. The partisan balance of the Senate currently stands at 53-47 in favor of Republicans, making any potential party alignment a focal point ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
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