Senator John Fetterman reacted with characteristic candor on Thursday to the news that Matt Gaetz had decided to withdraw his name as former President Donald Trump’s attorney general.
Fetterman floated the nomination and news of Gaetz’s withdrawal was all just a troll of the president-elect and his allies.
‘Holy s**t, I didn’t see that coming!’ he said sarcastically to reporters on Capitol Hill.
“Yeah, he was the ultimate troll and people are likely to freak out about something and react and if you’re going to do that… you better pace yourself because it’s not even Thanksgiving,” he added to.
Fetterman seemed irritated by the media frenzy surrounding the announcement.
“We don’t need to react and take non-serious matters so seriously that the world will slide off its axis,” he said.
The Democratic senator from Pennsylvania jokingly teased the press that Trump would spend a “silver dollar” to commemorate the event.
“I think this will be the next cycle,” he added.
John Fetterman reacted to the news that Rep. Matt Gaetz had his name withdrawn from consideration
Fetterman first described Gaetz’s nomination as “God-level trolling” by Trump last week after the nomination was announced.
“I would describe it as God-level trolling to cause a full-on China syndrome and own the libs forever,” Fetterman said.
Trump nominated Gaetz eight days ago and publicly supported his choice on Tuesday until the Florida congressman announced his withdrawal.
“While momentum was strong, it is clear that my nomination unfairly became a distraction from the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition,” Gaetz said in a statement.
“There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted scuffle in Washington, so I will withdraw my name from serving as attorney general.”
Trump thanked Gaetz and claimed he had a bright future ahead of him.
US Republican Representative Matt Gaetz announced his decision to withdraw his name for consideration as Trump’s attorney general after being nominated
John Fetterman has advised Democrats to be more moderate in their response to the actions of newly elected President Donald Trump
“He did a very good job, but at the same time did not want to be a distraction to the government, for which he has great respect,” Trump wrote. “Matt has a bright future and I look forward to seeing all the great things he will do!”
It is unclear what Gaetz plans to do next and whether he can save his political career.
Since Democrats lost the 2024 election, Fetterman has been more outspoken about his views and has even offered an olive branch to his former Senate rival, Dr. Mehmet Oz, who was nominated by Trump to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
‘If Dr. Oz is about protecting and preserving Medicare and Medicaid, I’m voting for this guy,” Fetterman wrote on social media.
Fetterman urged Democrats should not “freak out” about everything Trump did during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, advising his party to be more moderate in their responses.
“If we have a meltdown, you know, every tweet or every appointment or all that stuff, I mean it’s going to last four years,” he said.