President Trump is directly ordering Senate Republicans to attempt to turn embattled Democratic Senator John Fetterman to their side to ensure that they maintain their slim Senate majority. Politico has reported that if Fetterman does turn Republican, it will be because of Trump’s lobbying, the endorsement and “financial windfall” he’s apparently being promised, and the influence of Republican Senators Dave McCormick and Katie Britt, whom he is close with. One anonymous source claimed that Fetterman was open to the idea of switching sides.Fox News host Sean Hannity gave up the game to Fetterman while he interviewed the Democrat on his show in March.“I did talk to President Trump last night, and I told him you were gonna be on the show,” Hannity told Fetterman. “And he said ‘OK. I wanna give you a job. Your job is to tell him: He’s gonna be run as a Republican, he’s gonna have our full support, more money than he ever dreamed of, and he’s gonna win big.’” But Fetterman says he remains steadfast in his commitment to the Democratic Party—at least publicly.“I’m not changing,” he told Politico in an interview published Monday. “I’m a Democrat, and I’m staying one.... I’d be a shitty Republican.” Some would say Fetterman has been a pretty shitty Democrat too, fueling this Republican effort to get him to switch sides. Since first running for office as a Bernie Sanders–backed progressive eight years ago, and keeping up the facade in his 2022 Senate campaign, Fetterman has gone out of his way to offer rhetorical and legislative support for President Trump’s agenda while spiting the left flank that helped him secure his Senate seat. He was the very first Senate Democrat to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, and has defended the actions of federal immigration agents, saying that any calls to abolish ICE were “inappropriate and outrageous.” He is the only Democrat who voted against curtailing Trump’s war powers in Iran, and he is one of the staunchest supporters of Israel in the Senate. In one conversation last year, he reportedly proclaimed, “Let’s get back to killing,” referring to Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. “Kill them all.” Fetterman later denied the account.Earlier this month, not a single one of his Pennsylvania House counterparts could offer a vote of confidence for his 2028 reelection when asked by Punchbowl News. These admissions, while unsurprising, add yet another layer of contention to Fetterman’s relationship to his own party.These positions aren’t just unpopular among the Democrats rebuking him, they’re unpopular throughout the entire state. Last month, CNN polling showed that Fetterman’s net approval rating with state Democrats has plummeted a ghastly 108 points since he took office, from +68 in 2023 to -40 in 2026. “He’s down there with the Titanic,” CNN’s Harry Enten said. “There’s no historical analog to his unpopularity.”With all this in mind, it seems only natural that Trump is now actively courting the man he calls his “favorite Democrat.”