Fetterman on LA Riots: ‘My Party Loses the Moral High Ground’

“Senator Betterman strikes again,” radio host Tony Kinnett quipped. Hey, there are worse nicknames, and this one applies well.

John Fetterman had remained silent during the unfolding chaos in Los Angeles, which still represented something of an improvement over his fellow Democrats. We’ll get to those examples shortly, but Fetterman had finally seen enough by last night. He warned his party about their precarious position in endorsing violence in place of speech, and flying Mexican flags while assaulting American law enforcement:

I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration—but this is not that.

This is anarchy and true chaos.

My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/pPYbvP6xR0

— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) June 10, 2025

For the record, I also unapologetically stand for free speech, demonstrations, and immigration … as long as all of these are conducted according to the law. Americans support immigration as long as it takes place in a manner that allows us to rationally consider applications to enter the country, just like every other nation in the world does, and for the same reasons — to prevent malefactors from entering and establishing themselves among us.

What is happening in Los Angeles is not “free speech” or “demonstrations.” Agitators are conducting a violent campaign of intimidation against law enforcement to prevent legitimate operations targeting criminal illegal aliens. In doing so, these agitators have committed a number of arsons, widespread vandalism, batteries on federal agents and local police. Those escalated on Sunday into attempts to murder local law enforcement by dropping large rocks on top of police from an overpass. 

And all Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass have to offer is to claim that legitimate enforcement of the law is somehow too provocative for Los Angeles. It’s Donald Trump’s fault for actually doing what voters overwhelming want, and what Trump pledged to do during the campaign: find and deport criminal illegal aliens. Newsom and Bass want to nullify the election and claim supremacy over federal law by leveraging the violence and chaos rather than taking action to restore order. 

To contradict Fetterman on this point: Democrats don’t have a “moral high ground” on this issue. 

Their actions and rhetoric during these riots shows that clearly enough. Andrew Stiles curated some of the more memorable reactions from Fetterman’s party at the Free Beacon, and it becomes clear that the only ground that the party cares about is Donald Trump:

While Republicans were busy compiling footage of the LA riots to use in campaign ads next year, Democrats reiterated their support for illegal immigration. Newsom insisted that local authorities had the situation under control, a claim not supported by the evidence. He blamed Trump for having “flamed the fires,” whatever that means, and announced he was suing the Trump administration over its efforts to deploy the National Guard to restore peace. Kamala Harris, who is eyeing a run for California governor in 2026, said Trump’s efforts to enforce immigration law were part of a “cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division.” Democratic governors, including several possible 2028 contenders such as J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Wes Moore of Maryland, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, piled on in a joint statement condemning Trump for trying to quell the insurrection in defense of illegal immigration. …

When they weren’t attacking Trump, Democrats were half-heartedly criticizing the LA insurrectionists—not for rioting or attacking cops, but for giving Trump “what he wants.” Their allies in the mainstream press sought to downplay the chaos unfolding on the streets as a totally normal gathering of “people having fun watching cars burn.” And it’s happening amid widespread criticism of the media’s inability to tell the truth about former president Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, even though most Americans could clearly see it with their own eyes.

That context makes the courage of Fetterman’s statement even more clear. Kudos to the Senator from Reality, PA. However, if Fetterman wants a party with any claim to moral high ground, he may want to look anywhere other than the Party of Riots. 

Also, the latest episode of The Ed Morrissey Show podcast is now up! 

The Ed Morrissey Show is now a fully downloadable and streamable show at  Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the TEMS Podcast YouTube channel, and on Rumble and our own in-house portal at the #TEMS page!