Sen. Fetterman 'Strongly Disagrees' With Sen. Welch on Biden

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is sticking by President Joe Biden following a public statement by fellow Democrat Peter Welch of Vermont, who called on the president to step aside in his bid for reelection.

On Wednesday, Welch became the first Senate Democrat to publicly urge Biden to step down from his campaign when Welch published an opinion piece in The Washington Post.

"I, like folks across the country, am worried about November's election. The stakes could not be higher. We cannot unsee President Biden's disastrous debate performance," Welch wrote.

Welch said Biden should do so for the good fo the country: "He needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate to do so. In my view, he is not. For the good of the country, I'm calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race."

Fetterman, who recently campaigned with Biden in his home state of Pennsylvania, said he would not have gone public the way that Welch did.

"Sen. Welch, I mean, he's a good friend and he's the nicest dude in D.C. I've said that on the record," Fetterman told CNN following news of Welch's comments. "So I actually disagree with my friend, but he's entitled to his opinion.

"But I'm entitled to mine, and I just don't agree with my friend. I strongly disagree."

Fetterman, who has been somewhat of a renegade amid a growing chorus of calls for the president to step aside, is no stranger to going against the party grain. Earlier in the month he answered to critics of his newfound moderate policy stances, saying the progressive label has "left" him.

Fetterman has come under fire from some on the left due to his unwavering support of Israel and border security. When asked about Biden's chances in his home state, Fetterman told CNN that Biden could win Pennsylvania but "it's gonna be close in 2024."

He added that ditching Biden "would be a disgrace" and said that if it weren't for the president, "Trump would be running for his third term."

The freshman senator from Pennsylvania told the outlet that he supports Biden because "he's the only person to ever beat Trump's a** in an election."

"He's been an amazing president, and he deserves our support through all that," Fetterman said.