Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) managed to both bewilder and amuse reporters with his offbeat response to questions about a rumored visit to former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
When pressed about his intentions for the purported visit, Fetterman responded with a straight face, “I demand that I need to be made Pope of Greenland.”
The offbeat remark left reporters momentarily stunned, unsure whether to take him seriously or laugh.
One reporter gamely followed up, “Do you have the résumé to be Pope?”
Fetterman pivoted back to a more serious note, emphasizing his commitment to representing all Pennsylvanians.
“I am not the senator for just Democrats in Pennsylvania. I’m everyone’s senator in Pennsylvania,” he said.
He added that any conversation with Trump would be about policy, citing his co-sponsorship of the “Laken Riley Bill” as an example of bipartisan legislative efforts.
“It’s just having a conversation,” Fetterman concluded.
WATCH:
REPORTER: What are you hoping to get out of your visit to Mar-a-Lago with Donald Trump?
SENATOR JOHN FETTERMAN: “I demand that I need to be made Pope of Greenland.”
H/t @KellieMeyerNews pic.twitter.com/F5L7BWXxtj
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 10, 2025
President Trump extended the invitation to Fetterman, a gesture that signals his interest in working across the aisle.
Fetterman confirmed the visit during an interview with CBS News, saying, “That is the plan. Yes, we are going to have a conversation.”
“I think that one, he’s the president, or he will be officially,” Fetterman said. “And I think it’s pretty reasonable that if the president would like to have a conversation — or invite someone to have a conversation — to have it. And no one is my gatekeeper.”
Fetterman has consistently demonstrated a willingness to break from Democratic orthodoxy in support of what he calls “common-sense legislation.” He was the first Democrat to sponsor the Laken Riley Act and has voiced support for stronger border security.
In a previous move signaling bipartisanship, Fetterman became the first Senate Democrat to meet with Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense. Defending his decision, he told CNN’s Manu Raju that open dialogue and a willingness to work across party lines are vital for governance.
Also, Fetterman, in an appearance on Fox News Tuesday night, said that he thought there might be a “responsible conversation” to have about the idea of acquiring the sparsely populated Danish possession.
Trump has said on social media that “control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for the United States in the run-up to his inauguration.
“There’s a lot of talk about Greenland, for example, and there’s a lot of freak-outs, and of course, I would never support taking it by force,” Fetterman said.
“But, I do think it’s a responsible conversation if they were open to acquiring it, you know, whether just buying it outright.
“If anyone thinks that’s bonkers, it’s like, well, remember the Louisiana Purchase,” Fetterman added.
“I think Alaska was a pretty great deal, too, $50 million I think it was. It was referred to as Seward’s Folly.”
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