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The Situation Room

Interview With Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA); Abdul El-Sayed Addresses Supporters; Abdul El-Sayed Projected to Win Michigan Senate Primary. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired August 05, 2026 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: President Trump just moments ago called El- Sayed's projected victory in Michigan -- and I'm quoting Trump now -- "great news for the Republican Party," labeling El-Sayed a -- quote -- "communist loser who hates Jews and Israel" -- end quote.

How do you respond to what the president is saying? And do you agree with his assessment?

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): I'm saying objectively, as a Democrat that understands how to win a competitive state, it's like it does put it in play.

And 100 percent the Republicans were eager to run against him, and that's -- and that's where we are. And now you see how close it was, 14,000 votes out of 1.5 million votes, and now that's a divided -- that's a divided primary.

And he has said a lot of negative things towards her and other people, and now I think he's going to find out that he has to mend fences, as he said. Well, I guess we will see.

BLITZER: Considering El-Sayed's win in Michigan -- and we have now projected he is the winner in the Michigan primary -- are you willing to consider that perhaps you are the Democrat missing what voters want from their candidates?

FETTERMAN: I mean, so, for me, what -- if this candidate -- I have a great relationship with vast majority of Democrats.

We have really great candidates across the map in Ohio, Georgia, in Texas. We have great ones. But I have a real problem with people that are proud to campaign, people that loved Hamas, or that they love communist kinds of regime and under those kinds of policies overall.

And that's why I'm saying, objectively, as a Democrat in the Senate, saying that puts that seat in danger. And now that could -- and now people like Sanders, after what he's done in Maine with Platner, and now it's like it's creating more kinds of chaos, and now it's like, will you own, will you own the blowback and making it much more difficult to defend this seat?

BLITZER: If a Democratic Senate primary were held in Pennsylvania today, the commonwealth, as you like to call it, of Pennsylvania, do you believe you would win?

If there was a primary, a Democratic primary in Pennsylvania.

FETTERMAN: Like today?

BLITZER: Yes.

FETTERMAN: Yes. I mean -- I mean, that's -- we don't know exactly.

But, overall, it's 2026, so it's really kind of a theoretic...

BLITZER: It is a hypothetical question. But I ask the question because you told our my colleague Manu Raju last month -- you probably remember -- that you would leave the Democratic Party if it adopts an anti-Israel policy, calling it your red line.

What exactly does that look like and at what point will you make that decision to potentially leave your own Democratic Party?

FETTERMAN: Well, I have said this, if the Democratic Party adds that into the platform, if they say we become a party that will never vote for aid for Israel, or if we will define Israel as the aggressor, or that that's the problem in the region, so then that's -- would force me to reconsider that.

BLITZER: That one issue alone, just Israel, if the Democratic platform upcoming were to say some anti-Israel stuff, you would leave?

FETTERMAN: Well, that's become the defining -- that's become the -- really the defining litmus in this race.

I mean, if you have been following the Michigan race, it was AIPAC, AIPAC, AIPAC, AIPAC. I mean, that really made that -- made that the center of that race and all the other races across our country. So...

BLITZER: AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby organization.

Why is Israel, another country, your red line right now, this is what your critics are saying, rather than a domestic issue that impacts Americans' everyday lives?

FETTERMAN: Yes, absolutely.

And I agree with a lot of Democrats too. And then, when you migrate into these extreme kinds of use and embrace the kinds of people that should really be considered toxic, so, of course, I'm entitled to my opinion. And if you're proud to campaign with those individuals, great. That's really up to them.

I called trash Platner. I called that he's -- he is a real problem. And now why people seem to be OK with it?

(CROSSTALK)

FETTERMAN: Why was Bernie Sanders OK with a guy? And then he was already the Nazi tattoo and after all the allegations of roughing up his ex-girlfriends and saying terrible things, indefensible things online, and you would push these kinds of candidates that put our ability to reclaim the majority at serious risk.

BLITZER: I hear everything you're saying, but why is Israel your red line, the major issue that would force you potentially to leave your own party?

FETTERMAN: Because I think -- I think we have -- our nation has a very special responsibility to protect and support Israel.

I mean, we're -- Democrats, we're the ones that have a very kinds of progressive values. That's the nation that only has those kinds, the same, similar values in that entire region. And now, if you look at the kind of danger and the circumstances there remind people that Israel is not the aggressor.

[10:35:11]

They have been pushed into this existential war. And I think, for me, it's very critical that we always -- I will always -- I'm proud to say I will always vote and support Israel.

BLITZER: So this is still an issue potentially -- I'm not saying you're going to do it -- potentially that could force you to leave the Democratic Party?

FETTERMAN: I have -- yes, I have said that a couple times.

BLITZER: So, it's still there?

FETTERMAN: Yes, of course. Of course that's there.

BLITZER: All right, because I want to be clear. Some of your colleagues across the aisle have openly hoped you would switch your party to the Republican Party. And if you were to leave the Democratic Party, would you become an independent or a Republican?

FETTERMAN: I don't know, but as I have said this, there are no Republicans that are pro-choice and pro-union and pro-gay community, I mean, all of those things.

So if you consider me politically homeless at some point, no, I have put me at odds. And I don't know why. I think more people can appreciate calling out people that are appropriate, whether it's people like Platner, or whether it's someone like Hasan Piker, or you have people, incoming Congress people that were going to wipe their mouth with the American flag.

I mean, it's like why is it -- it seems like if you can't criticize or call that out, because it seems like they're -- I mean, if you are a DSA people, run on your own banner. Run, hey, I'm going to run as a DSA, the DSA party.

BLITZER: Democratic Socialists of America.

FETTERMAN: Yes, exactly. Yes, we want more socialism, and now we have become more embracing communism in many of those circles.

BLITZER: So you think socialism eventually emerges and becomes communism? Is that what you're saying?

FETTERMAN: What I'm saying, what's become acceptable to say. And, like, for example, now organizations like J Street have now made it OK for Democrats to vote against even supporting Iron Dome, purely, purely defensive kinds of system.

Why would you not support that, that kind of a thing? And that's pushing us in the Democratic Party, are we willing to turn our back to Israel? History has demonstrated that if a nation or people will turn their back to the Jewish community, that has some very tragic outcomes.

BLITZER: Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who just lost the Democratic primary in Michigan, echoed calls across the Democratic Party for unity heading into the fall. Are you willing to unify with Abdul El- Sayed, for example, who's now the Democratic nominee of the Democratic candidate?

FETTERMAN: Oh, yes, that -- yes, the tough guy. He called me ugly and then I should be on a pike.

And I'm like, chief, I own mirrors. I know I'm an ugly guy. But if you want to put me on a pike, I mean, he has like a really -- like a little man syndrome kind of energy. And now he was really arrogant in that race. And now he have found out that less than a majority of Democrats want him, and he has a serious responsibility between now and November to hold that seat.

BLITZER: So you think he could lose to Mike Rogers?

FETTERMAN: Oh, 100 percent that's possible, without a doubt. I mean, the polling seems to indicate that it is in danger.

BLITZER: So how should members of your party, the Democratic Party, come together to defeat the Republican candidate?

FETTERMAN: Yes, well, I can't come together with someone if you are willing to embrace people that loves Hamas or that thinks America deserved 9/11. I think that's reasonable. And I think that's the reasonable view, being to able to kind of be like, well, maybe and try to ignore those things.

That's not a big tent situation. There are things that are unacceptable to have these views as a Democrat, I think.

BLITZER: Senator John Fetterman, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate it very much.

FETTERMAN: Oh, thank you.

BLITZER: Thanks for coming in.

This programming note. Abdul El-Sayed will be appear on "THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" 9:00 p.m. Eastern tonight here on CNN.

And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:43:34]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Back to our top story this morning.

CNN projects Abdul El-Sayed will win the Michigan Democratic Senate primary. These are some pictures right here we're showing you from Detroit, where El-Sayed will be speaking at any moment. We will carry his remarks live. And we're also keeping a close eye on several key primary races across the country this morning, a lot going on.

So with us now to talk about all of this is CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein.

Hey, Ron, great to see you.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, Pam.

BROWN: So Well, et's start with this Senate race in Michigan. CNN is projecting Abdul El-Sayed will win there.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

BROWN: It was a really close race, down through the wire. What is your takeaway from this contest?

BROWNSTEIN: A perfect metaphor, Pam, for the overall year. I mean, this year has seen, I think the most systematic conflict between left and center in Democratic primaries in modern history, certainly the most I have seen in over 40 years of covering politics.

And each side can post significant victories. I mean, the left has won House races in New York and Denver again last night, in Detroit with Thanedar being defeated, but the center has its victories too, Iowa Senate race, California governor race, some of the other House races, and, here, their biggest victory yet.

One thing that is really important about this race is that most of the left advances this year have come in safe blue districts. Well, last night, El-Sayed's win is going to be the biggest test of whether that Sanders-style progressive argument can win a swing state. By the way, they also won a swing district nomination around Lansing in the House, similar kind of test.

[10:45:10]

BROWN: It is. And we're going to talk about the other races in just a second.

But just sticking with Michigan here, the turnout for the Senate primary race in Michigan...

BROWNSTEIN: Right.

BROWN: ... surpassed the previous record from the August 2020 primary. What do you think is the driving force behind that?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. And I think Democrats, 500,000, roughly, more Democrats than Republicans voted in the primary.

It is an indication that, as we're seeing in all of the -- all of the polling, that, as is often the case, but on steroids this year, the party out of the White House is more motivated to vote. Trump's strong disapproval among Democrats is astoundingly high, and whereas you have about 20 percent of Republicans who now disapprove of Trump.

And those people are unlikely to cross over and vote for Democrats, but it's unclear whether all of them are going to show up and vote. And the primaries, like the special elections, have sent a pretty clear message that Democrats have an enthusiasm and turnout edge that may -- that is going to matter in November.

BROWN: So I want to talk about this Missouri race and this rematch in St. Louis. You had Congressman Wesley Bell easily fending off former Congresswoman Cori Bush, a Democratic Socialist and one of the members of the Squad.

So what does it say to you that progressives were unable to score a win in this part of the country?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Yes, it says that -- and I know we're going...

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Actually, hold on. I'm going to pause you, Ron, because it looks like El-Sayed is talking right now. Let's listen in.

ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), MICHIGAN SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I want to say, just first and foremost, how grateful I am for the opportunity to participate in democracy.

My family immigrated to this country from a place where there is not democracy. You cannot just put your hand up and run. And the ability to do this, to have our voices heard, to select our leaders, it is a gift that sometimes we take for granted. So, to have participated means so much.

And to my fellow participants, I just want to say how grateful I am to you. Senator McMorrow, you ran an incredible race. You fought to end the corporate corruption in our politics. You took on the power of AIPAC. You were willing to speak truth to a level of power that sometimes is unbeatable.

And I just want to -- want to say thank you and how grateful I am to have your support here today. I cannot wait to see what you do next. And I hope that, for as long as I'm in this work, that we can be in this work together. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE) EL-SAYED: To my colleague and friend Congresswoman Haley Stevens, we shared a great conversation this morning. And I know that it was a bitter end to this very long primary, but I also know that Haley brings the best of herself to her work.

She is one of the most committed public servants that you will ever meet. She loves democracy like I love democracy. And whatever differences that we might have had in the primary, they pale in comparison to what unifies us, a recognition that, so long as we want to keep our democracy, that democracy better be working for people and that all of us have to come to come together to make sure that we never let Mike Rogers see the inside of the U.S. Senate.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

EL-SAYED: So, Congresswoman, thank you for your race.

And I have to say a few more thank-yous before we talk about where we're going next.

First, I got to thank my wife, Sarah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

(CHEERING)

EL-SAYED: I really -- when we decided to jump into this race, I knew that it was going to be tough for me, but I also knew that it was going to be particularly tough on our family.

And the fact that she held it down alongside her medical practice, alongside making sure that our daughters didn't experience this without thinking life was just normal, that takes just an extraordinary amount of effort and sacrifice.

So I just want to say how grateful I am to you, love, and I'm so honored and thankful that we get to continue this. Twenty years on, it has been a hell of a ride. I owe her our 20th anniversary on our 21st anniversary, because we definitely didn't get one of those this year.

To my daughters, I know that they're not watching, but I wish this meant I get a little bit more time with you, but give me three more months.

To everybody who put their shoulders into the work, anybody who made a contribution, who knocked on a door, who made a phone call, who put yourself into this democracy, who gave us your stake in democracy, this movement, this moment is for you.

And I just can't say how grateful I am to have earned the votes that we got. We took on a machine. You're not supposed to be able to beat $70 million of outside spending, a record amount of money spent in a campaign against a Democrat in a primary in any campaign. You're not supposed to be able to beat that. And what we showed is that the power of our many is greater than the

power of their money. What we showed is that if you're willing to build a movement brick by brick, if you're willing to go and travel your state and have the conversations in rooms big and small, starting in moments when people aren't even paying attention to an election, but are paying attention to the price of gas and the price of groceries and the price of housing and the price of health care, that you can build a conversation that builds into a movement that defeats Goliath.

[10:50:26]

This is what you all showed. And my hope is that our democracy will never be the same. So, when big pharma and big tech, when DTE and Blue Cross come a knocking saying, you know what, this is our democracy, and we're going to own it, from here on out, we can always point and say, no, this is the people's democracy, and we will always own it.

(APPLAUSE)

EL-SAYED: This would not have been possible without the incredible efforts of so many allies and allied organizations. I got to give a special thank-you to my first endorsers, Bernie Sanders, the O.G., who came in on day one, put his entire shoulder in the work.

I just hope that I can help to carry some of that load in the fight for working people and Medicare for all that he's been carrying for all of this time.

To the UAW, the unbeatable, indomitable UAW...

(APPLAUSE)

(CHEERING)

EL-SAYED: ... as a son of immigrants, son of a father who came to this country to build cars, I got to say that this is still the best place in the world to make an automobile, and that is because of the fighting UAW, but it's also the best place in the world to build a family because of the fighting UAW.

(CHEERING)

EL-SAYED: And our work is about making sure that the folks who want to sell our democracy off to corporations and special interests don't get to take that away. And I stand in lockstep with our UAW sisters and brothers.

To the AFT, the National Nurses United, the AFGE, the AAUP, thank you so much for your work, to all of the advocacy organizations who made this possible on the ground, folks like the DCCC and MoveOn, folks like the Working Families Party, all of the constituency organizations who knocked on doors and made phone calls.

Thank you so much for putting your shoulder into the work. I also have to thank all of our endorsers, 300 strong, who came in, spent their time with us, came from just down the street, or came from across the country to talk about what it looks like to build a movement of the people, by the people, and for the people. I want to say how grateful I am to you.

We built this campaign brick by brick. Back in April, I remember talking to a room of five people in a discussion that most people will never clock, but it was an opportunity for us to share an honest conversation about pain and about purpose.

And I have been able to have 500 more of those discussions over the past 15 months. I trained to be a doctor. And the single most important moment that makes a clinical encounter is that moment that somebody shares their pain with you, believing that you could do something about it.

I don't practice medicine, as has been well-documented by all of you. But I hope that I get to practice that part of things. And I have been able to practice it, but it requires people being willing to share their pain with you, so that you can do something about it.

That is a moment, a piece of vulnerability people give you because they believe that you can actually fix it. It's an investment, sure, in a campaign, but it more is an investment in democracy. And as we traveled our state, we were in living rooms in Lansing, VFW halls in Escanaba, basements in Grand Rapids, churches in Detroit.

I got to meet so many of you, Michigan, so many. And you shared both what caused pain, but also what brought purpose. And we forged a movement out of that to get money out of politics, put money back in pockets and pass Medicare for all to guarantee health care in this country.

(CHEERING)

EL-SAYED: And for our troubles, the corporations, the special interests who would rather get to decide who our elected officials are than let us decide who our elected officials are, they spent an unprecedented amount of money to beat us, attack ad after attack ad after attack ad after attack ad, wall-to-wall ads.

But it turns out that the commercials are the part of the television show most people don't want to watch. It turns out that you can spend as much money as you want on lies, but it doesn't make them true. It turns out that, when you're able to reach out and dignify somebody's pain, people remember that a lot more than a 30-second ad played on a loop on television.

[10:55:00]

And it turns out that, when the people want something in this democracy of ours, the people can get that thing if we're willing to do the work of that. And that's exactly what Michiganders up and down the state showed, 12,000 volunteers knocking nearly 10,000 doors a day to defeat an unprecedented amount of outside money, $70 million.

(APPLAUSE) EL-SAYED: But-, right now, as bitter and as divisive and as cynical as the campaign against us might have been, I want us to realize that there is so much more that unites us now, because the campaign that Mike Rogers and Donald Trump and their GOP MAGA allies are launching is already more bitter.

All you got to do is look at the ads you're already watching on TV, started today. They think that you want to use my whole name against me. Mike, listen, man, if you can't say the name -- it's Abdulrahman -- keep the name out your damn mouth.

(CHEERING)

EL-SAYED: I will be happy to give you lessons.

But they understand that the only way that they think they can win is to drag us into the mud, to believe the worst about each other, to believe that what divides us is bigger than what unites us. They want us to think that the reason some of us ain't got is because of other people got.

But it turns out that the reason so many of us ain't got is because of the system that has corrupted our politics to take it away from us. And that is the thing that we are taking on now.

(APPLAUSE)

EL-SAYED: That movement to get money out of politics, put money in your pocket, pass Medicare for all, it is a big movement.

So, if you supported me or you did not support me, if you voted for Vice President Harris in 2024 or you voted for Donald Trump, if you believe, like me, that you ought to be able to afford your groceries, if you believe, like me, that you ought to be able to afford your home, if you believe, like me, that your tax dollars ought to be invested in you, rather than sent somewhere else, if you believe, like me, that a government of the people, by the people and for the people is our birthright in this country.

If you believe, like me, that we have a responsibility to stand up and walk with our union so that everybody has collective bargaining rights in this country...

(CHEERING)

EL-SAYED: If you believe like me that you ought to have the guarantee of good health care in this country without some corporation trying to tell you what you cannot have and should not fight for, I hope that you will join this movement now.

(CHEERING)

EL-SAYED: I want to speak specifically to an issue that has been focused on in this race.

To my Jewish American sisters and brothers, one of the most indelible memories of this campaign will have been the opportunity to break bread with you at seder, to worship with you at shul, to embrace, to be embraced by you.

And listening to sisters and brothers who said, I want to join this movement because AIPAC doesn't speak for me, because I understand that self-determination for one people does not require the quenching of self-determination for another people, that unless all of us are free, none of us are free.

I want to tell you the great gift that you have given me. And to all of my sisters and brothers of the Jewish faith or any faith at all or no faith at all, I want you to know that my commitment to your safety, my commitment to Jewish safety is the same commitment that I have to the safety of my own daughters.

Because if there is one question of a political philosophy that ought to animate us all is, what would we build, what would we do if we treated all of our kids like they were all of our kids?

(APPLAUSE)

EL-SAYED: How would we spend our money? Where would we put our investment? How would we embrace one another? What kind of schools would we build? What kind of health care would we offer? What kind of jobs would we protect?

And I say this because there could not be a greater contrast between that philosophy and the cynicism of Mike Rogers. See, Mike's a guy who spent 14 years in Congress with one goal, to figure out how to cash out the day he left.

And guess what he did? As soon as he left Congress, after having taken corporate check after corporate check after corporate check to empower the corporations to pick your pockets, he went and he cashed out, not in Michigan, no. Winters are too cool for him.

(LAUGHTER)

EL-SAYED: He's got thin skin, after all. He went to Florida.

So, Mike, if you want to be a Florida man, go be a Florida man. If you want to golf in Florida, go golf in Florida. But I promise you, in November, we are going to send you back to Florida.

(CHEERING)

EL-SAYED: Mike Rogers is the guy who wants to put a data center in your backyard so he can make himself feel a little bit more manly by making an A.I. video.