WATCH: Sen. John Fetterman Turns On Fellow Democrats - 'I'm Not A Progressive'

On Wednesday, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) responded to accusations from left-wing critics that the Pennsylvania Democrat, who ran as a progressive during his 2022 campaign against Mehmet Oz, hasn't been the radical progressive activist that he claimed to be while on the campaign trail. 

"I'm not a progressive. I just identified myself as a regular Democrat," Fetterman told CNN host Dana Bash. "Now, eight years ago, I was a progressive, but the situation's changed, and I've been very clear that I didn't leave that label. That label leaved [left] me and I think it's much more important to be focusing on Donald Trump instead of those kinds of purity tests and those kinds of issues."

Fetterman has proven himself in recent months to be far more moderate than many expected, particularly on the issue of the Israel-Hamas war. The Pennsylvania senator has routinely spoken out against the pro-Palestine demonstrations that engulfed college campuses at the end of the school year, and his office hung up posters of those kidnapped by the terrorist group on October 7.

The CNN host also asked Fetterman to respond to Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who has criticized President Biden's recent executive order to address the crisis on the southern border. Jayapal, a member of the progressive wing of the party, claimed that Biden was using the "same tools as Donald Trump" on the border.

"She's entitled to her own opinion, but it does also seem like some of the harshest words for the president in this situation seems to be more coming from very safe, and blue, very kinds of places," Fetterman said in response to his progressive colleague. "Now, in Pennsylvania, border security is an important issue, and we do all believe that we should have a secure border, and I never thought it was unreasonable for any Democrat to want to make our border more secure."

Fetterman has repeatedly called on Democrats to address the border crisis, telling Fox News in March, "When you started just following the numbers that are coming again and then when you've reached 200,000 or 250,000 folks that are encountered at the border — I mean that's astonishing. And then just putting that in the context of Pennsylvania. I was like, 'Oh, my goodness. That's nearly the size of Pittsburgh.' And that's our second-largest city. You can be very pro-immigration, but also demand and require that we have a secure border there as well too. I don't know why that's really controversial for a Democrat or any American to be pro-immigration."

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