Senator Fetterman is emerging as the leading voice among Democrats wrestling with how to handle President Trump. The Pennsylvanian is among the few urging his party to confront the reality of who Trump is and stop running against the caricatures they create of him.

On Sunday, Politico published a post-mortem on Vice President Harris’s campaign from Navigator Research, which describes itself as a “messaging and polling resource” for the left. “The problem isn’t just Kamala Harris or Joe Biden,” the outlet wrote.

Voters who backed Democrats in the past saw weakness in their 2024 message and were turned off by its heavy focus “on diversity and elites.” One person in the survey likened the party to an ostrich: “Heads in the sand … absolutely committed to their own ideas, even when they’re failing.”

On Sunday Mr. Fetterman told the host of ABC’s “This Week,” Jonathan Karl, that he has “been warning people” to address these flaws. “You gotta chill out’” about Trump, he said. “The constant, you know, freak out, it’s not helpful. So, you know, pack a lunch — pace yourself — because he hasn’t even taken office yet.”