Fetterman Points Finger at Pelosi for Harris Defeat: ‘You Got What You Wanted’
Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman placed the blame on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi following the Democrats’ crushing losses in the 2024 elections.
In an interview with Politico, Fetterman criticized Pelosi when asked whether he believed President Joe Biden should have withdrawn from the race after his disastrous debate against Donald Trump.
“People like [Nancy] Pelosi, she really tried to — what’s the word I’m looking for? — she embraced this ‘she’s the godmother, she’s the enforcer.’ And now she’s blaming Biden,” Fetterman remarked, openly holding Pelosi responsible for attempting to consolidate power.
“Well, you can’t have it both ways. You got what you wanted,” he continued, referencing Biden’s exit and Kamala Harris taking his place, “and now you’re still blaming Biden.”
With the Democratic Party now fragmented into various competing factions, internal blame is rampant over their failure to reclaim the House of Representatives, their Senate loss, and Trump’s return to the White House.
Pelosi suggested that Biden’s immediate endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris may have contributed to her significant loss.
“I think it’s really ironic that you have a woman at age 84, and she is still hanging on. Why not give a younger generation an opportunity to occupy that seat?” Fetterman added.
He also criticized Harris and other Democrats for labeling Trump supporters as “fascists” simply based on their political leanings.
“I love people that are absolutely going to vote for Trump. They’re not fascists. They’re not those things. I think if you go to the tickle switch, use those kinds of terms, then it’s kind of hard to walk back on those things,” he explained.
“That’s kind of a word that really isn’t part of the vernacular for voters. Scolding harder or clutching the pearls harder, that’s never going to work for Democrats,” Fetterman concluded.
After Democrats suffered severe losses in 2024, calls for Pelosi to step aside intensified.
Speaking with Fox News host Neil Cavuto, Teamsters International President Sean O’Brien urged both Pelosi and New York Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer to step down following the Republican victories that secured the presidency, Senate, and House majority.
Last year, Pelosi filed for re-election in 2026.
After winning a 20th term last week, the 84-year-old submitted a statement of candidacy to the Federal Election Commission on Thursday. While the documents indicate her potential plans for the next election, her office has yet to confirm whether she will indeed run again.
Pelosi’s remarks about Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 race and his endorsement of Harris ignited debate.
In a New York Times podcast interview on Saturday, Pelosi suggested that many expected Biden to step down sooner, which could have allowed a more competitive selection process for his replacement and strengthened the Democratic response to Trump.
Following his poor debate performance and mounting concerns about his age, Biden announced in July that he would drop out of the race and endorsed Harris, aligning with growing Democratic sentiment that he was no longer the best candidate to challenge Trump.
Reports indicate that behind the scenes, Pelosi advised donors and fellow Democrats to “speak their conscience” if they had concerns about Biden’s candidacy.
A House Democrat told NBC News at the time that the surge of party members publicly questioning Biden’s campaign was “all Nancy’s doing.”
“So they’ve got a lot of — they’ve got a lot of soul searching to do. And look, I said this earlier today in another interview that, you know, the Democrat Party needs to take a look in the mirror and say, ‘You know, maybe Chuck Schumer’s time is over. Maybe Pelosi’s time is over. Let’s figure out who’s going to be the best for the party.’ And look, as an organization, we’re always looking at how do we lead this organization better than we found it. I think that needs to be the focus,” O’Brien added.