Sen. John Fetterman tells panicking Democrats to ‘cut the s—-‘ and support Biden

Sen. John Fetterman is tired of Democrats backtracking, or altogether dropping, their support of President Biden in the weeks since his debate performance. 

Mr. Biden’s shortcomings have caused fractures within the Democratic party on whether to keep backing him. The typically unified public messaging from Democrats has begun to crack and splinter on the edges, and nearly two dozen lawmakers have called on the president to step aside as the party’s nominee.  

But Mr. Fetterman, Pennsylvania Democrat, was having none of their hand wringing on Saturday. The freshman senator has become one of Mr. Biden’s most ardent supporters and defenders, despite his continued missteps and bungles in high-stakes interviews and press conferences. 

“Democrats, stop worrying about Joe Biden’s legacy and think about yours,” Mr. Fetterman said. “Abandon a great president after a rough debate or stand with the only person who ever beat Trump’s a— into dust.

He continued, “All must choose, but we’re headed for assured mutual destruction if we don’t cut the s—-.”

Most of the lawmakers calling on Mr. Biden to exit the race are facing tough reelection bids. Their messaging noted that staying in the race could taint his political legacy, and it would be better to save what is left. Others have demanded to see more from Mr. Biden and his team that he has what it takes to win. 

In all, 21 congressional Democrats have called on Mr. Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee for president, but he has continually doubled down that he’s not going anywhere in his public appearances since the debate. 

The lawmaker said in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Friday that he believed Mr. Biden would win Pennsylvania, his home state and where his presidential campaign headquarters is, but that it would be close. 

Mr. Fetterman has spent much of the time since the June 27 debate criticizing Mr. Biden’s naysayers inside and out of Congress, like the New York Times, whose editorial board ran an op-ed that implored Mr. Biden to drop out shortly after the debate. 

He noted that the majority of congressional Democrats still back the president, which Mr. Fetterman believed was a more meaningful reflection on where “we are as a party” at the moment. 

“I want to be clear, Joe Biden can beat Trump,” he said. “But Joe Biden can’t beat Trump and the New York Times and this whole apparatus of other people and consultants and all these people just keep riding his back week in and week out.”