Fetterman Praises Trump, McCormick In Pre-Recorded Midterm Convention Video
Page A4From§Eachthe wee small hours edition — 10 September 2026
Fetterman’s surprise GOP convention video praises McCormick, vows to work with Trump, and angers Democrats
First, Fetterman appears at the Republican midterm convention in a surprise video (15). Then, he’s already at odds with his own party and makes that surprise video for the GOP (18). The Democrats are not amused—his video angers Democrats, according to the New York Times (22). But he doesn’t just show up: in the video, he praises Republican McCormick and vows to work with Trump (29). The story is a single act: a sitting Democratic senator, already on thin ice with his party, delivers a video at the GOP convention, praises their candidate, and promises to work with their leader, while his own party watches and fumes. It’s not just a crossover—it’s a handoff. The punchline is that the party lines are drawn in chalk and washed away as soon as the cameras roll. The stakes are immediate—every time a Democrat crosses the aisle in the moment of the midterms, that’s one less seat backing the kind of policy working folks need. The receipts don’t lie: the video, the praise, the vow, the anger. It’s all one story, and the only thing left to do is climb.
“If you ever wondered what a party loyalty test looks like on live TV, Fetterman just handed in his homework to the other team. Praising McCormick and Trump in front of the GOP’s cameras is a hell of a way to tell your own party you’re not picking up the phone. The stakes? One less vote for anything that helps regular people, and one more seat for the folks who call healthcare a handout.”
“It's actually refreshing to see a Democrat reach across the aisle and offer praise for a Republican. That's bipartisanship, right? I mean, sure, some members of his party are upset, but maybe they should try working with Trump too. Did I say that? That doesn't sound like me. Anyway, a little cooperation never hurt anyone.”
The receipts
Democrats in Pennsylvania reacted with a mix of annoyance and eye-rolling to Senator John Fetterman’s video appearance at Republicans’ midterm convention.
The Pennsylvania Democrat has already had a strained relationship with many inside his party. In the video, he spoke about working with Trump but did not outright praise him.
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman appeared in a surprise video at the Republican Party's midterm convention on Wednesday, as he becomes increasingly isolated from his own party.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.