Why Fetterman still thinks his party is wrong on Israel, shutdown & the working class

When John Fetterman won Pennsylvania's senate seat in 2022, Democrats across the country treated him as a hero and an example of a path forward for the party in the populist Trump era.

Three years later, he often finds himself at odds with his party – most recently, on the government shutdown, Israel, and working class voters.

He delves deeper into his political views and experiences in a new memoir out this week, titled Unfettered. In the book, he’s also deeply honest about his struggles with mental health.

“Honestly, I know millions of Americans suffer,” Fetterman told NPR. “And to really understand what [...] true deep depression is like [...] that's part of the conversation in the book.”

This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam with audio engineering from Andie Huether. It was edited by Ashley Brown and Nadia Lancy. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

You can also watch the full conversation between NPR’s Scott Detrow and Fetterman here.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy