John Fetterman is apparently mulling over some ambitious career upgrades — and his own party looks less than thrilled about it.
According to a report from New York Magazine, the Pennsylvania senator “called a rare meeting with senior staff to ruminate about his political future” last summer. And during that sit-down, Fetterman floated something that reportedly left the room frozen in disbelief: the idea of running for vice president.
The reaction, per one staffer quoted in the report, wasn’t exactly subtle. “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,’” the attendee told New York Magazine. That’s not exactly the kind of internal pep talk most politicians put on their campaign highlight reel.
The backdrop to all this internal drama is Fetterman’s increasingly visible habit of breaking with Democrats on a range of hot-button issues — including Israel, immigration, border security, government shutdown politics, and even confirmations tied to President Donald Trump’s nominees.
In fact, Fetterman has been openly supportive of the military parade marking the Army, prompting praise from conservatives online who say he’s one of the few Democrats willing to acknowledge basic patriotic optics without collapsing into a meltdown. But it’s his stance on Israel that’s really widened the political fault lines.
New York Magazine reports that Fetterman has been closely associated with an unofficial adviser, David “Dovi” Safier, described as a Jewish history writer and Orthodox fundraiser. According to the report, Safier “just kind of appeared” in Fetterman’s orbit a few years ago — and then suddenly became a near-constant presence.
He has reportedly traveled with the senator to Israel in 2025, been present during media appearances including Fetterman’s sit-down on HBO’s Bill Maher show, and maintained frequent communication described by former staffers as constant texting and calling. One former aide said Safier has functioned as an unofficial senior adviser and fundraising presence, despite no formal role.
That alignment has only sharpened Fetterman’s divergence from the progressive base of the Democratic Party, where support for Israel has become increasingly contentious. Fetterman, by contrast, has made clear he rejects accusations leveled against Israel in the Gaza conflict, writing:
“The truth in Gaza. Hamas steals aid then sells it to their own people, yet Israel faces blood libel with committing ‘genocide’ or ‘starving’ Gaza. I stand with the truth.”
Inside his own office, however, the mood reportedly hasn’t been nearly as calm. New York Magazine describes a senator stuck in what one source called a “political no-man’s-land,” with staffers frustrated by both his ideological positioning and his relationship with Safier. “Fetterman is in a political no-man’s-land — a disastrous development for a first-term senator. His staffers are infuriated with their boss’s untenable position in the Senate and his buddy-buddy dynamic with Safier,” the report notes.
While Democrats appear increasingly unsure what to do with him, Republicans are more than happy to watch the situation unfold — and in some cases, openly speculate about whether Fetterman might eventually drift further their way. Politico previously reported that Fetterman has dismissed the idea of switching parties, arguing Republicans would never accept a pro-choice, pro-labor, marijuana-legalization, LGBTQ-rights-supporting senator anyway — even one willing to buck his own party.
But that hasn’t stopped Republicans from encouraging the idea. When Fetterman appeared on Fox News host Sean Hannity’s program, Hannity relayed a message he said came directly from Donald Trump: that Fetterman should run as a Republican and would be backed “with full support” and major fundraising firepower. “‘Your job is to tell him: He’s gonna run as a Republican, he’s gonna have our full support, more money than he ever dreamed of, and he’s gonna win big,’” Hannity said, quoting Trump.
Fetterman hasn’t exactly taken the bait. But he has increasingly carved out a reputation for bucking Democratic leadership and occasionally backing Trump-era positions or priorities, especially when it comes to public order, Israel policy, and shutdown brinkmanship.
As Politico has noted, he “largely ignores Trump’s transgressions, finds ways to support the White House in high-profile moments and is increasingly ubiquitous when criticizing his own party on right-coded media in ways that affirm conservative views about liberal excess.”
Unsurprisingly, that has not played well with Democratic voters. Polling reportedly shows Fetterman underwater with his own base compared to the strong early enthusiasm he enjoyed when first elected. According to The National News Desk, his chief of staff recently stepped down.
