As Democrats are struggling to come to terms with an electoral loss across several key battleground states, giving Donald Trump and other Republicans control over the White House and Congress, debates over how much to challenge Trump and whether to embrace some of his policies are becoming commonplace. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has already broken with his party on several policy issues and has become the only Democratic senator to meet with Trump following his victory, flying to his Mar-a-Lago resort in mid-January.

“I’m the Senator for all Pennsylvanians, not just Democrats in Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said in a statement. “I’ve been clear that no one is my gatekeeper. I will meet with and have a conversation with anyone if it helps me deliver for Pennsylvania and the nation.” 

In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Trump commented on his meeting with Fetterman.

 “It was a totally fascinating meeting,” Trump said to the Washington Examiner. He’s a fascinating man, and his wife is lovely. They were both up, and I couldn’t be more impressed. He’s a commonsense person, he’s not liberal or conservative. He’s just a commonsense person, which is beautiful.” 

This is not the first time Fetterman has been an outsider with his party, and he has not been afraid of taking a different stance than the party line in the past. In 2016, Fetterman endorsed Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary. However, Fetterman had also criticized the then-Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia for not voting along with Democrats or supporting Biden’s agenda in 2022.  

Appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” Fetterman dispelled rumors of him leaving the Democratic Party and described meeting with Trump nominees and agreeing with Republican policies as simply “part of politics” and necessary to represent Pennsylvania. He further disavowed the “fascist” label given to Trump by Vice President Kamala Harris during her campaigning.

 “It’s not a word I would use,” Fetterman said on “This Week”. 

Beyond meeting with Trump nominees, Fetterman described Trump’s idea of acquiring Greenland a “responsible conversation,” comparing it to the Louisiana Purchase on Fox News.  

Some Democrats say Fetterman is employing pragmatism in Pennsylvania’s current political reality, and Republican senators have used Fetterman as an example for other Democrats to follow. Senator Katie Britt (R-AK), a close friend of Fetterman’s, said that he is giving Pennsylvania a seat at the bargaining table by engaging with Trump. 

“Truly, if more people operated like that, we would be better off as a nation,” she said in an interview. 

Additionally, Joe Biden issued his farewell address on Jan.15, warning about the future of the nation and calling for change. Much like Dwight D. Eisenhower did in 1961, Biden expressed concerns that “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”  

He reminded, however, that “we’ve seen it before, more than a century ago,” and that Americans “stood up to the robber barons back then and busted the trusts.”  

Notably, Biden called for a series of changes to the Constitution which banned members of Congress from trading stocks and “to make clear that no president – no president – is immune from crimes that he or she commits while in office.” Biden’s remark relates to a landmark Supreme Court ruling during the summer when justices said that former presidents hold broad immunity for official acts taken during their time in the White House. The ruling significantly affected the case against Trump for attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss, with charges dismissed following Trump’s win this past November as sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted. 

Biden ended his address with a call to action: “After 50 years of public service, I give you my word, I still believe in the idea for which this nation stands, a nation where the strengths of our institutions and the character of our people matter and must endure. Now it’s your turn to stand guard. May you all be the keeper of the flame. May you keep the faith. I love America. You love it too.”