Why Fetterman still thinks his party is wrong on Israel, shutdown & the working class

Consider This from NPR

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🗓️ 11 November 2025

⏱️ 12 minutes

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Summary

When John Fetterman won Pennsylvania's senate seat in 2022, Democrats across the country treated him as a hero and an example of a path forward for the party in the populist Trump era.

Three years later, he often finds himself at odds with his party – most recently, on the government shutdown, Israel, and working class voters.

He delves deeper into his political views and experiences in a new memoir out this week, titled Unfettered. In the book, he’s also deeply honest about his struggles with mental health.

“Honestly, I know millions of Americans suffer,” Fetterman told NPR. “And to really understand what [...] true deep depression is like [...] that's part of the conversation in the book.”

This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam with audio engineering from Andie Huether. It was edited by Ashley Brown and Nadia Lancy. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

You can also watch the full conversation between NPR’s Scott Detrow and Fetterman here.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	When John Federman won Pennsylvania's Senate seat in 2022, Democrats across the country treated him as a hero and is an example of a path forward for the party in the populist Trump era.
0:10.3	Three years later, he often finds himself at odds with his party.
0:13.5	I think Democrats can be allowed to have different views.
0:17.0	Federman has been against the federal government shutdown since day one.
0:20.2	Yes, I want health care, but not to create this kinds of stress in our system.
0:25.2	He's unapologetically pro-Israel.
0:27.2	I know it's become very popular to become more and more anti-Israel in my party.
0:33.4	I strongly disagree.
0:35.1	He delves deeper into his political views and experiences in a new memoir out this week.
0:39.7	And in the book, he is also deeply honest about his struggles with mental health.
0:44.3	Profound depression, honestly.
0:46.2	I know millions of Americans suffer and really understand what true deep depression is like.
0:55.5	Consider this. A key senator and a key state is opening up on where he stands in his personal and political life.
1:02.4	John Fetterman explains where he thinks his party is losing its way.
1:08.8	From NPR, I'm Scott DeFrode.
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