Senator John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, has been praised by conservatives online on Friday who are calling him "better than" his former Republican opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz after he criticized Harvard University for being "always a little pinko."
Fetterman, who had previously called himself a progressive, won the 2022 midterm election against doctor and television presenter Oz. Recently, Fetterman has said he's "not a progressive" and has taken stances that conservatives believe align more closely with their views.
The senator is now being praised by conservatives online for calling Harvard "pinko" amid criticism of the Ivy League's response to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Following the Palestinian militant group's surprise attack, Israel launched its military operation in Gaza targeting members of Hamas. Israel has been criticized by some for causing a humanitarian crisis in Gaza as thousands of Palestinians have been killed and up to 1.8 million have been displaced.
In regards to Harvard, Fetterman told Semafor political reporter David Weigel in a Friday newsletter, "As an alum of Harvard — look, I graduated 25 years ago, and of course it was always a little pinko. But now, I don't recognize it."
Pinko is a disparaging term used to describe a person with left-wing views.
Newsweek reached out to Fetterman's office via email for comment.
Media personality Joey Mannarino shared Fetterman's statement about Harvard on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote on Friday, "Somehow this guy is turning out better than Oz would have been. Also, did not know he went to Harvard."
"Fetterman calling Harvard a school filled with communists is just beautiful. You can't write this stuff. He even used the word pinko. Seriously, what changed because this is not the same guy from the campaign?" political commentator Robby Starbuck wrote on X.
New York City Council candidate Helen Qiu wrote on X, "Wow, Fetterman delivered a New Year's gift to America — Harvard was always a little pinko. Geez! Fetterman for president 2028?"
"The more Fetterman heals from his brain damage the more conservative he becomes ... the left of course are angry as hell and heads are exploding," X user @JohnJGaltrules wrote.
Fetterman has also been applauded by conservatives for his strong support of Israel. Two days after the October 7 attack, Fetterman said in a statement: "I unequivocally support any necessary military, intelligence, and humanitarian aid to Israel...I also fully support Israel neutralizing the terrorists responsible for this barbarism."
Harvard Faces Backlash
In the wake of Hamas' attack, a coalition of Harvard students released a statement pinning the blame for the recent conflict on Israel.
"For the last two decades, millions of Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to live in an open-air prison. Israeli officials promise to 'open the gates of hell,' and the massacres in Gaza have already commenced," the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee and Harvard Graduate Students for Palestine said in a joint statement on social media on October 8.
In an October 12 video from then-Harvard President Claudine Gay, she reiterated the university's rejection of terrorism, while also maintaining that the school has a commitment to free expression.
"That commitment extends even to views that many of us find objectionable, even outrageous," she said. "We do not punish or sanction people for expressing such views, but that is a far cry from endorsing them."
Gay resigned on Tuesday, writing in a letter posted to Harvard's website that "it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual."
The Ivy League president's resignation came amid calls for her to step down following the university's response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and allegations of plagiarism in Gay's academic work.
Gay defended the "integrity" of her work in a statement on December 11. "Throughout my career, I have worked to ensure my scholarship adheres to the highest academic standards," she said.
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Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more
