Democrat Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is pushing back against members of his own party for repeatedly labeling President Donald Trump “Hitler” or an “autocrat.”
The senator is warning that such rhetoric is dangerous in the wake of the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during a campus event at Utah Valley University.
Speaking to CNN’s Manu Raju, Fetterman said Democrats need to stop fanning the flames of political violence.
“I think you just don’t ever, ever compare anyone to Hitler and those kinds of extreme things,” Fetterman said.
“Now, look what happened to Charlie Kirk.
“I mean, you know, the man was shot.
“Now, we have to turn the temperature down.
“We can’t compare people to these kinds of figures in history.
“And this is not an autocrat.
“This is a product of a democratic election.”
Pressed on whether Trump is “shattering norms of democracy,” Fetterman replied:
“I’m saying he’s definitely different, but that’s what America voted for.
“Again, I don’t agree with many of these things, but that does not make him an autocrat.”
‘Democrats Have Lost The Argument’
The Pennsylvania Democrat went further, acknowledging his party’s repeated failures at the ballot box and warning against demonizing half the country.
“Right now, I think it’s entirely appropriate to really be honest and just figure out why exactly have we effectively lost two out of the last three cycles,” Fetterman said.
“We’ve really kind of lost our connection with American voters in ways.
“And I think we can‘t just be ‘well, Trump is always wrong’ or that ‘we‘re going to set the country on fire.’
“That‘s just not true either, of course.”
He added that representing Pennsylvania has kept him grounded:
“You always can‘t forget that a lot of Americans happen to disagree with you.
“That does not mean that they are fascists, or now they want to shred the Constitution.”
Political Rhetoric Under Fire
Kirk’s murder has already intensified debate over the role of incendiary rhetoric in fueling political violence.
Law enforcement officials revealed that bullet casings found near the scene of Kirk’s assassination carried anti-fascist inscriptions.
Republicans, still reeling from the July 2024 assassination attempt on President Trump, have accused Democrats and the media of normalizing comparisons to Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.
Yet some Democrats are doubling down. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) defended calling Trump a “wannabe Hitler” just days after Kirk’s death.
“Me disagreeing with you, me calling you, you know, ‘wannabe Hitler,’ all those things are like, not necessarily saying, ‘Go out and hurt somebody,’” Crockett said on “The Breakfast Club” radio show.
“But when you’re literally telling people at rallies, ‘Yeah, beat them up’ and that kind of stuff, you are promoting a culture of violence.”
Fetterman’s remarks stand in stark contrast, signaling rare dissent within Democrat ranks.
It comes as the party faces growing backlash for toxic rhetoric amid two high-profile political assassinations in just over a year.
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