President Donald Trump has publicly urged Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman to switch political parties and join the Republican Party, raising the prospect of a significant political realignment as November’s midterm elections approach and control of the Senate hangs in the balance.

“I’d love to see him as a Republican,” Trump told reporters Saturday at Joint Base Andrews after returning to Washington from a campaign rally in Tennessee. “He does better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat.”

Trump’s remarks represent a direct effort to attract Fetterman to the Republican Party at a time when maintaining control of the Senate has become a major concern for GOP leaders. Fetterman, who won his Senate seat in 2022, initially emerged as a prominent Democratic figure with an unconventional, working-class political image. Since arriving in Washington, however, he has increasingly broken with members of his party on issues including immigration and Israel, fueling questions about his political future.

A spokesperson for Fetterman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fetterman has previously dismissed the idea of joining the Republican Party. In a May opinion piece for The Washington Post, he described himself as a “terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats.” Tensions with fellow Democrats have grown following his appearance in a video played at a Republican midterm convention last month, in which he praised Pennsylvania’s Republican senator, Dave McCormick, and criticized ideological extremism within his own party.

“I’m always going to stand with America,” Fetterman said in the video. “I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life.”

Fetterman’s willingness to appear at a Republican political gathering could complicate his efforts to secure the Democratic nomination for another Senate term. Trump raised that possibility Saturday while making his pitch for the senator to change parties.

Democrats are seeking to gain four Senate seats to establish a 51-seat majority. Although that goal remains difficult, Trump’s low approval ratings and economic pressures linked to the war with Iran have given Democrats greater confidence that they could make substantial gains in November.

A Democratic Senate majority could also give Fetterman greater influence within the chamber, potentially making a move to the Republican Party less attractive.

Party switches have previously altered the balance of power in the Senate. In 2001, Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party and became an independent, allowing Democrats to take control of the chamber. In 2009, Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter’s departure from the GOP and move to the Democratic Party helped Democrats secure a supermajority.