The John Fetterman Experience

John Fetterman
Some Democrats and Republicans have been nodding toward Senator John Fetterman as the sort of unconventional, party-line-scrambling politician who could fill a leadership void without really trying. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Tara Palmeri
January 24, 2025

Still reeling from Donald Trump’s win in November, Democrats seemed entirely flat-footed during the first 72 hours of his presidency while a barrage of executive orders vaporized the ancien régime in Washington. Sure, some of this was ostensibly strategic: In recent weeks, multiple Democratic leaders have expressed their intent to lie low and keep their powder dry until public sentiment inevitably turns. But it’s been impossible to ignore the glaring absence of any sort of Democratic standard-bearer, or even a would-be standard-bearer, to bring the fight to Trump and the Republican Congress. A rope-a-dope strategy works only if the fighter has a knock-out punch ready to throw in a later round.