BACKTRACKING

Fetterman Deletes Drake Meme on Rape After Uproar

He said it had “created confusion and deserves clarification.”

Following backlash to a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, over the past week, including one of a Drakeposting meme discussing sexual violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) backtracked Friday, saying his message had “created confusion and deserves clarification.” On Thursday, he quoted an article from The Philadelphia Inquirer about Sabra hummus products getting vandalized with stickers that read, “Boycott Israeli Goods,” a reference to Sabra being owned by an Israeli company. In response, Fetterman shared a photo of the rapper Drake showing an aversion toward “protest[ing] the rape of Israeli women + girls” but liking the “protest [of] hummus.” This sparked controversy, with Prem Thakker, a reporter at The Intercept, writing, “A US Senator posted a meme about sexual violence (with a celebrity [Drake] who’s called for a ceasefire) right after the IDF called discourse about female hostages “irresponsible” & “inaccurate,” and on the same day Israeli forces detained & stripped Palestinians (including a journalist).” Fetterman did not respond to a request for comment from Newsweek on Friday.