Sen. John Fetterman: Why Does Everybody Hate Me?

Long before Zohran Mamdani won the race to become New York City's first Muslim mayor and its first Asian American mayor, President Trump accused him of being a "communist" and of "living illegally" in the United States. Shortly afterward, many in the MAGA movement joined the attacks on Mamdani, targeting him, in my view, largely because he is Muslim. That did not surprise me.

What did surprise me was Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) joining the chorus of critics by claiming that Zohran Mamdani is not a Democrat. He most certainly is. Claiming otherwise is the worst possible thing to say, and Fetterman's statement was, in my view, a bald-faced lie.

Once again, this month, the Pennsylvania senator joined critics in attacking New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for saying he would seek the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he entered New York, citing the International Criminal Court's warrant accusing Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Fetterman called Mamdani a "clown" for raising the idea and said the mayor should focus instead on fixing New York City's potholes.

Since taking office, Fetterman has done little, in my opinion, for the people of Pennsylvania. Instead, he has devoted much of his public attention to defending Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and supporting Israel's military actions in the occupied Palestinian territories. He has also reportedly had a confrontation with one of his constituents—a 55-year-old University of Pittsburgh law professor who voted for him—after the constituent asked why he opposed a Gaza ceasefire.

Several reputable reports have described Fetterman as one of the Democratic Party's strongest supporters of Israel, noting that his social media accounts have been filled with expressions of unwavering support for the Israeli government. I struggle to identify any significant accomplishments he has delivered for the people of Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, according to New York City officials, the Mamdani administration reported repairing more than 50,000 potholes between taking office on January 1, 2026, and March 16, 2026. By April 6, during the administration's first 100 days, the city announced it had repaired 100,000 potholes—the highest number filled during the first 100 days of any calendar year in more than a decade. The mayor also participated in filling the symbolic 100,000th pothole. 

Medea Benjamin of CodePink recoded the video below with Sen. Fetterman and share it in tweet with the resot of the world that read." John Fetterman calls himself the “conscience” of the Democratic Party while apologizing to Netanyahu for Democrats who oppose unconditional support for Israel. The same John Fetterman who stood by the bombing, starvation, and devastation of Gaza. The same John Fetterman who was the only Democrat to vote against the War Powers Resolution on Iran, helping keep the door open to a wider war. Watch, share, and let him know exactly what you think."

https://x.com/medeabenjamin/status/2083310919900422479?s=20

Middle East Eye tweeted a video of a very recent meeting between Fetterman and War Criminal Netanyahu the caption:
 

"US Senator John Fetterman voiced strong support for Israel during a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also criticized fellow Democrats and called New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani "worthless" over his criticism of Netanyahu."

https://x.com/MiddleEastEye/status/2082967382989889753?s=20

Fetterman's former chief of staff reportedly sent a 1,600-word email to New York magazine's Intelligencer, expressing concern about the senator's behavior and urging that he receive additional support.

According to the report, those concerns included:

• Speeding while texting.
• Answering FaceTime calls while driving.
• Missing approximately 200 Senate votes over the previous year.

According to Spotlight PA, Fetterman also became visibly upset during a May 2025 meeting with teachers representing unions from across Pennsylvania.

He reportedly asked, "Everybody is mad at me? Why does everyone hate me? What did I ever do?"

Whether or not one agrees with his policies, Fetterman has become an increasingly polarizing figure in Pennsylvania politics. In my view, he has failed to represent the interests of many Pennsylvanians and has become an embarrassment to the Commonwealth.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a Palestinian freelance writer and a retired U.S. Air Force veteran. He writes about U.S. foreign policy, Middle Eastern affairs, and justice.