That came as Sen. Fetterman called on his party to stop having such a constant “freakout” about Trump, noting that he hasn’t even taken office yet. He said, “I’ve been warning people, like, you got to chill out, you know? The constant, you know, freakout, it’s not helpful. So, you know, pack a lunch. Pace yourself because he hasn’t even taken office yet.”
Karl then pressed him on what he thinks will come of the next Trump presidency, asking if he thinks Trump has the potential to succeed: “Do you think he has the potential to be a successful and a good president?” Sen. Fetterman then said that he is not rooting against Trump. He said, “I hope because I’m not rooting against him.”
Continuing, Sen. Fetterman explained why he won’t root against a president. telling Karl that doing so is essentially rooting for the nation to fail. He said, “If you are rooting against the president, you are rooting against the nation, and I’m not ever going to be where I want a president to fail. So, country first. I know that’s it’s become maybe like a cliche, but it happens to be truth.”
Changing tacks a bit, Karl then asked Sen. Fetterman what the big reason was that Vice President Harris performed so badly in this election. Karl asked, “What was the single biggest factor behind Kamala Harris and Democrats losing in November?” That’s when Sen. Fetterman commented on Trump’s undeniably excellent political talent, saying, “You have a singular political talent. It’s undeniable.”
Karl, shocked at the answer, asked him, “Trump?” Sen. Fetterman responded by explaining what he meant and why he thinks Trump was so able to succeed, first noting that the president-elect is utterly fearless and quite energetic, particularly when it comes to saying what needs to be said. As he put it, “You know, he had the energy and almost the sense of fearlessness to just say all those kinds of things and people.”
Building on that, the senator noted that paired with the popularity that comes from telling the truth relentlessly and fearlessly is that doing so is often quite entertaining, and adds that entertainment value in a way that helps him significantly in terms of political popularity. Making that point, Sen. Fetterman said, “It’s undeniable that it has an entertaining aspect for that, too, if you are not afraid to say all of those things.”
And, concluding, Sen. Fetterman gave a great example of the president-elect’s excellent political sense, pointing to his reaction to being shot in the ear. He said, “And after you survived an assassination, you literally were shot in your head and had the presence of mind to respond, you know, fight, fight, fight. I mean, that’s a political talent. It’s undeniable.”
