Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is seen in the U.S. Capitol during votes related to the government shutdown on Oct. 16, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In particular, it was the attacks on men, be it through speeches or legislation, that helped turn the Democratic Party into an elitist organization too focused on "celebrity endorsements," he said. In turn, those who voted for Trump perceived "Democrats as soft and gooey, with a platform built on ideals that weren’t based in the reality of the average person."
"We became the party of the elites, one that had lost touch with its base," he wrote. "Also, the continued speech and policies against men have not been without consequences."
"If men are forced to choose between picking their party or keeping their balls, most men are going to choose their balls," Fetterman continued.
Fetterman’s book, released on Tuesday, comes at a particular inflection point for Democrats. The party had spent much of the year searching for a binding message to both rebuild their brand with voters and build unity among their ranks in Congress.
SENATE ENDS 41-DAY GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN STALEMATE, SENDS BIPARTISAN DEAL TO HOUSE
President Donald Trump points as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Sept. 11, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)
"Schumer was forced to reverse himself and enforce a dress code aimed at me," Fetterman wrote.
One policy area in particular that Fetterman felt Democrats had failed was immigration. He reiterated that while he was pro-immigration, Democrats’ unwillingness to tackle the growing crisis at the southern border under former President Joe Biden was something he couldn’t get behind.
He wrote that Democrats’ assertion that "an open border is a compassionate policy," wasn’t based in reality.
"It is chaos, both for those immigrants and for the citizens impacted by the overwhelming number of people coming in who need assistance," he wrote.
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And further, that position likely played a large factor in Trump and the GOP’s across-the-board victories in 2024, Fetterman argued.
"Democrats were swearing up and down that the border was secure and telling its voters to not believe their own eyes," he wrote. "I suspect this may have been the deciding factor in the 2024 election. You can’t tell people to not believe their own eyes and expect to win elections."
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fetterman-torches-democrat-party-new-book-elitist-lost-touch-working-class