U.S. Sen. John Fetterman this weekend urged Democrats to change their tune when it comes to attacking President Donald Trump as an autocrat, saying that posture won't help them win in the handful of battleground states, like Pennsylvania, that are crucial to taking back the White House.

Fetterman, who has long bucked a previous progressive label and frustrated some on the left with his consistent criticism of Democrats and occasional support of Trump, told CNN on Sunday that the far left's viewpoints had been "weaponized" against the Democratic Party.

"They have forgotten one of the reasons why we lost in 2024," he said. "Some people think now we have to double down on those things or we must become more progressive or more extreme. That's absolutely not true. The seven or eight states that are going to determine who's going to be our next president, you know, we have to win in those states, and I understand what that takes."

The purple state Democrat, a former lieutenant governor and Braddock mayor who has reportedly potentially eyed a White House run, stands out as an independent voice as his party seeks the best ways to win over voters while confronting Trump's aggressive overhaul of Washington and a push to expand presidential power.

Just being "reactive" to Trump isn't a winning formula, Fetterman argued.

"We have to turn the temperature down," he said. "It's like, we can't compare people to these kinds of figures in history (such as Hitler or other dictators). And this is not an autocrat. This is a product of a democratic election. It's like, I participated in that. It was safe and it was secure. We lost, and the American people put us in the minority. That's democracy ... I may not like the outcome, but I have to respect that."

Lawmakers in safely Democratic states, such as Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut or Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, have aggressively criticized the Trump administration as it slashes federal agencies, cuts grant funding, ramps up immigration raids and threatens to deploy the National Guard to help combat crime. Gov. Josh Shapiro, up for re-election next year and one of several governors seen as a contender for the White House in 2028, has also stepped up his criticism of Trump in recent months.

But the Keystone State senator employs a more measured approach.

"I will disagree with my party at some time," Fetterman said. "I'm going to have an independent view on what I think was right or wrong. What's good for Pennsylvania, I'm going to vote for that."

He acknowledged that he doesn't agree with all of Trump's moves, but at the same time he believes Democrats as a party have "really lost our connection with American voters in ways."

"(Trump is) definitely different, but that's what America voted for," he said.

Several Republicans have lauded Fetterman's takes — which include criticizing Democratic protests of Trump's immigration and other policies — but he reaffirmed to CNN he wasn't about to jump ship.

"I'm a Democrat," he said. "I just made a significant investment in the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. I'm not changing my party."

Still in his first term after defeating Republican celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in 2022, Fetterman didn't commit one way or another on running for re-election in a few years.

"Come on, '28," he said. "It's going to be crazy, you just never know what's going to happen. You just never know that."

Fetterman is also a staunch supporter of Israel at a time when many progressives and even some conservatives have spoken out against how Israeli attacks on Hamas have impacted Palestinians in Gaza. He disputed that Israel was starving Palestinians, instead blaming Hamas and Iran for Gaza's "miserable" conditions.

He said that the high-profile race for New York mayor, with Democratic Socialist and Israel critic state Rep. Zohran Mamdani as the frontrunner, does not hold "any political insights" for him as "someone that represents Pennsylvania."

The senator noted that he's been aligned with his party "on the big votes," including strong opposition to controversial figures like Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. He was, however, the lone Democratic vote in favor of Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Fetterman also joined Democrats in voting against Trump's contentious tax and spending agenda, saying it hurt Pennsylvanians on Medicaid and receiving federal food assistance while giving the wealthy and corporations significant tax breaks. And his campaign team in fundraising messages regularly attacks Trump's and Republicans' efforts on diversity initiatives, transgender policy and potentially privatizing Social Security.

On immigration, Fetterman has supported Trump's effort to secure the border and deport criminal migrants. But he told CNN he disapproves of the administration's broader crackdown.

"We shouldn't target otherwise hard-working migrants that are just effectively, making a significant contribution to our economy," he said.

One area where he may again break with Democrats in the coming weeks is a spending plan, with the Republican-controlled Congress up against a Sept. 30 deadline to approve a long-term or temporary budget or else face a government shutdown. Earlier this year, he joined a group of Democrats including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York in reluctantly allowing a GOP-led temporary spending bill to move forward to avoid a shutdown.

"That's not fighting," he said. "That's mutilating our nation. If you vote to shut our government down, you are going to harm millions of Americans, and why would you do this? Where is our leverage?"

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