Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman dismisses calls for President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 election, citing his own recovery from a stroke as proof that a weak debate performance does not disqualify a candidate. Fetterman also praises Biden's economic record and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman has come to the defense of President Biden's reelection bid, dismissing calls for the president to withdraw from the 2024 race. In an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Fetterman argued that Biden "deserves" a second term, citing his economic record and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I've watched him for the last four years and he's done incredibly good things," Fetterman said of Biden. "I mean, he got us through that pandemic, that pandemic, that over a million Americans lost their lives through that. And look at our economy. Ours is the world's envy."
Fetterman Defends Biden's Reelection Push, Warns of Close 2024 Race
Fetterman dismissed the New York Times, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and a number of left-leaning pundits calling on Biden to drop out of the race. He argued that these calls were similar to those made after his own "difficult" debate performance in 2022 against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz.
"There's no value in, in any of those things. I mean, there was that same kind of a freak out after my debate. And in fact, I might even say that I had a more difficult evening than the president did," Fetterman told host Shannon Bream. "And here I am right now, having this conversation. And I really like to remind to everybody watching that right now, Biden is one and Trump is still zero, and he's the only person that's ever beaten Trump. And I really believe that Joe Biden will do that again, despite all of the Democrats wetting the bed over that kind of thing."
Fetterman Defends Biden's Reelection Push, Warns of Close 2024 Race
Fetterman suffered a stroke in May 2022, causing clear auditory processing issues that impacted his speaking abilities in the months leading up to Election Day that November. Despite a jarring debate performance that left many Americans questioning his fitness for office, Fetterman still defeated Oz, the Republican in the Pennsylvania Senate race.
Fetterman argued that Biden's age should not be a concern for voters, citing his own recovery from a stroke.
Fetterman Defends Biden's Reelection Push, Warns of Close 2024 Race
"We had a difficult debate, and yet we still managed to go on to win," Fetterman said. "Now everybody was calling that… the end of my career. That was the end of this race. And everyone was predicting that I was going to lose actually by two points or more. And I smoked Oz by five points. And that's why I'm saying it's like one debate. It's not a career any more than Donald Trump's… convictions for felonies aren't really going to define, you know, his reputation and his presidency. And that's why they're both here again."
Fetterman also warned that the 2024 election will be "very close."
Fetterman Defends Biden's Reelection Push, Warns of Close 2024 Race
"The only poll that's really going to matter is Election Day," Fetterman said. "And the polls changed and they inverted in my race as well. And here I am as a United States senator. And I just got back from Israel just a couple days ago. And that's why I want to remind everybody that one debate does not define a person's record or the kind of person or the situation."
Fetterman's comments come as Biden faces increasing scrutiny for his age and performance in the recent CNN presidential debate. A Fox News poll conducted April 11-16 found that registered voters in Pennsylvania gave Trump wide margins over Biden regarding who they trusted to best handle the economy, foreign policy, and the border.
