Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) brushed off criticism after he shook hands with President Donald Trump at the State of the Union address, saying that if people are upset about it, “that’s on them.”

In an interview on CNN’s The Arena with host Kasie Hunt, Fetterman was asked why he felt it was important to shake Trump’s hand as the president entered the chamber.

“He’s the president,” Fetterman said, adding that it was simply a matter of “basic respect and courtesy.”

“We have to find a way, if we can be in the same room, we can disagree on these things,” he said. “You don’t have to sign off on everything. You don’t have to agree with everything.”

Fetterman explained that when he hears something he agrees with or supports, he will “stand up and clap for those things,” regardless of who is speaking.

“If someone’s angry that I shook the president’s hand as he walked in, I think that’s on them,” Fetterman said. He also argued that many of those criticizing him had “no problem” when New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the White House.

“If we refuse to talk to the other side, I mean, that’s the only one that really loses: that’s America,” he added.

After footage of Fetterman greeting Trump circulated from the State of the Union, critics on social media attacked the Pennsylvania Democrat, with some labeling him a “traitor” and a “sellout” for the gesture.