Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) blasted those who use “Hitler” or “fascist” to describe political opponents or rivals. He said the continued use of such “extreme rhetoric” leads to “extreme outcomes” such as political violence.
Fetterman made the comments in a post on his X account on Sunday afternoon, while reposting a screenshot of an article about a study that showed there was an increase in left-wing terrorism in the U.S.
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“Unchecked extreme rhetoric, like labels as Hitler or fascist, will foment more extreme outcomes,” Fetterman said.
“Political violence is always wrong — no exceptions,” the senator added. “We must all turn the temperature down.”
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Fetterman’s comments came after a gunman drove his vehicle through the doors of the Church of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan. After exiting his vehicle, he fired his rifle at worshippers in the church. The church was also set on fire. Four people were killed in the attack, and eight others were reportedly injured.
Fetterman’s post also comes after a surge in left-wing violence throughout the country, which the senator highlighted in the attached screenshot. This includes the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a conservative Republican activist and Turning Point USA founder, multiple assassination attempts of President Donald Trump, while he campaigned in 2024, the murder of two staffers at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the killing of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
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Fetterman’s screenshot of left-wing violence was an article originally posted by Axios, citing a study that found “attacks by far-left extremists outpaced far-right violence” for the first time in 30 years. The senator has been an outspoken critic of inflammatory rhetoric in the weeks after Kirk’s assassination.
“Don’t ever, ever compare anyone to Hitler and those kinds of extreme things,” Fetterman said earlier in September. “Now, look what happened to Charlie Kirk.”