Fetterman calls Abandon Biden movement dumb and defends Biden’s debate performance on Fox News

Sen. John Fetterman (D, Pa.) criticized the Abandon Biden movement as part of his fierce defense of President Joe Biden in the midst of a postdebate panic among Democrats.

Abandon Biden is a group of Muslim activists and allies who previously supported Biden and want to punish him for supporting Israel in its war on Hamas, which began in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel and has resulted in thousands of deaths in Gaza. The national movement has focused its efforts on swing states like Pennsylvania, where it launched in February, and Michigan, where it launched in December.

“That whole Abandon Biden thing, that’s the dumbest s— I’ve ever heard,” said Fetterman, a devout supporter of Israel, in an interview on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream.

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Abandon Biden bolstered a broader coalition of progressive activists who encouraged voters to cast protest votes in the primaries — the impact of which was largely symbolic. But Abandon Biden wants to go beyond the symbolism and actually boot Biden from the White House in November. The group has not decided whether it will endorse another candidate for the general election, but some of its leaders have made clear they do not support former President Donald Trump, pointing to his Muslim ban and rhetoric about Israel needing to “finish the job” in Gaza.

» READ MORE: ‘Abandon Biden’ activists disagree over whether to consider supporting Trump

In the Fox interview, Fetterman argued that if voters who would be “more inclined to vote for a Democrat or be a Democrat” are walking away from Biden, they’re essentially helping Trump. That argument, which will continue to echo throughout the country as the general election approaches, mirrors past fractures within left-wing politics over progressives who opted to vote third party instead of choosing who they see as the lesser of two evils. (Remember Ralph Nader in 2000?)

“If they want to play with that kind of fire, they better earn that burn,” Fetterman said.

» READ MORE: John Fetterman’s fight with the left is no longer just about Israel

In response to his Fox appearance, national Abandon Biden spokesperson Hudhayfah Ahmad criticized Fetterman’s support of Israel, and said he isn’t “someone to look toward for moral clarity and commitment to democratic values” because he’s received donations from pro-Israel groups.

“John Fetterman has spent nine months completely abandoning progressives and demanding that the U.S.-backed Israeli devastation of Palestinian life and land continue,” Ahmad said in a statement.

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The conversation took place just days after Biden’s debate performance worried Democrats and stirred up rumors about potential nominees to replace him. But Fetterman told Bream that calls for Biden to step down from the race don’t have merit, and he’s repeated that sentiment on X by sharing screenshots of news articles, and of course, a meme involving middle fingers.

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Fetterman has cited his own debate mishap during his 2022 campaign that caused Democrats to question his viability as a candidate as he was recovering from a stroke.

» READ MORE: Panicked Pennsylvania Democrats launch into cleanup mode after Biden’s bad debate night

“There was that same kind of a freakout after my debate,” Fetterman said in the Fox interview. “And in fact, I might even say that I had a more difficult evening than the president did, and here I am right now having this conversation.”

» READ MORE: Bob Casey says Joe Biden had a tough night in his first comments on the president’s debate performance

The senator said that just as Trump’s 34 felonies aren’t defining his candidacy, one debate shouldn’t define Biden’s. Fetterman said he believes Biden will beat Trump “despite all of the Democrats wetting the bed,” and praised the president’s handling of COVID-19 and the economy. That being said, he acknowledged it’s a tight race.

“The president has done a really good job and he deserves a second term,” Fetterman said. “But I really do want to be clear — it’s going to be very close. I’ve said this before and that’s not gonna change.”

» READ MORE: Trump and Biden are tied in Pa., but past polls underestimated the former president’s appeal, the Washington Post says

The two candidates are fighting head-to-head in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state.

The host referenced a Fox poll showing a tie between the two men in Pennsylvania, but preferring Trump on certain issues.

“The only poll that’s really gonna matter is Election Day,” Fetterman responded.