Did Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania switch to the Republican Party, saying, "I'm never gonna be a communist who believes men should use the girls' bathroom"? No, that's not true: The story originated on a Facebook page known for its satirical content, which carries the warning "Nothing on this page is real." The image supporting the claim is also stamped with a warning label that says, "Satire."
The claim appeared in a post and image (archived here) by the America Loves Liberty account on Facebook on May 7, 2026. It read:
Senator John Fetterman will register as an Independent to run for re-election in 2028.
"I can't see continuing to associate with my current party," said Fetterman, "I'm never gonna be a communist who believes men should use the girls' bathroom."
Fetterman says he's evolved a lot since coming to Washington.
"I've learned that everyone in the Democrat party is willing to lie, cheat, and steal if they think it hurts President Trump."
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by America Loves Liberty on Facebook.)
The claim originated on the satirical Facebook page America Loves Liberty (archived here) run by Christopher Blair, a self-described liberal with a documented history of creating fake content to trick conservatives into sharing it. The page states: "Nothing on this page is real":
(Image source: America Loves Liberty on Facebook.)
The image was also stamped with a disclaimer, saying "ALLOD. Satire." The label is circled in red below:
(Image source: post by America Loves Liberty on Facebook.)
ALLOD stands for America's Last Line of Defense -- a series (archived here) of satirical Facebook pages and news websites.
Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo! News (archived here) and did not find any matching reports for the words: "John Fetterman switches parties." In fact, his own words said just the opposite. In a Washington Post op-ed (archived here) on May 7, 2026 -- notably the same day the fake post appeared -- Fetterman wrote he was not swapping sides of the political aisle:
Being an independent voice that works with the other side to deliver for Pennsylvanians might put me at odds with the party that I have stayed committed to and have no plans to leave -- but I will continue to put the commonwealth and the country first.
Plus, I'd be a terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats.
