Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) torched members of his own party over their antics at Tuesday evening’s presidential address before a joint session of Congress, saying that they amounted to “a cavalcade of self-owns and unhinged petulance.”
Fetterman, who has broken with Democrats on several key issues — the Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists and border security among them — since winning his seat in 2022, laid out his thoughts in an X post on Wednesday.
The Pennsylvania Senator shared a screenshot of a POLITICO headline — which read, “‘Giving bingo’: Democrats’ silent protest against Trump falls flat” — and added his own assessment of the situation.
“A sad cavalcade of self-owns and unhinged petulance,” Fetterman said. “It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained. We’re becoming the metaphorical car alarms that nobody pays attention to — and it may not be the winning message.”
A sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance.
It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained.
We’re becoming the metaphorical car alarms that nobody pays attention to—and it may not be the winning message. pic.twitter.com/hNgX7ouLjX
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) March 5, 2025
Many of the Democrats who attended Trump’s address carried signs that resembled ping-pong or auction paddles, all of them printed with words or phrases such as, “False,” “Save Medicaid,” “Musk Steals,” or “Protect Veterans.” Others carried small wipe-off boards and wrote their own signs. Still others did not attend the event at all, making public statements through their offices or via social media announcing their reasons for skipping it.
In addition to the signs, the Democrats booed President Trump on several occasions — and sat in stony silence, refusing to applaud even when Secret Service Director Sean Curran gave a Secret Service badge and a hug to a 13-year-old battling brain cancer or when the son of a fallen police officer was granted acceptance into his dream school: the United States Military Academy at West Point.
The antics did not stop there, as Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was eventually thrown out of the chamber after he stood and shook his cane, shouting at Trump while he was trying to speak. Several others announced later that they had walked out on Trump while he was still speaking.
“The View” cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin attempted to make a similar point on Wednesday’s broadcast, arguing that the optics coming from the Democratic Party on Tuesday evening were not good — but Whoopi Goldberg shouted her down and Sunny Hostin complained that the Democrats had not done enough.
