Pennsylvania Sen. Jon Fetterman returned to the Senate this week with a “scary” and “disturbing” speech after nearly two full months with clinical depression.
The Democrat took a step back from his role in mid-February and finally returned to office Wednesday with a stuttering first speech.
During a meeting of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Food, Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research, the recovering lawmaker raised eyebrows with his speech pattern.
At one point, social media users said it was hard to understand what he was saying, while others said it felt like watching an “SNL skit.”
Fetterman had a rocky start to his career in Washington after he suffered a stroke while campaigning in 2022 and was hospitalized in early February before serving his term due to clinical depression.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman returned to the Senate this week with a “scary” and “disturbing” speech after nearly two full months due to clinical depression.
During a meeting of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Food, Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics and Research, the recovering lawmaker raised eyebrows with his speech pattern.
Videos of Fetterman speaking during the meetings were posted to Twitter Wednesday afternoon by Greg Price and were instantly blown up.
Within hours, a two-minute clip of the Pennsylvania senator had received more than 4.9 million views.
The same tweet has also been quoted and retweeted thousands of times.
Below the tweet, more social media users focused on the senator’s speech.
“Scary,” said political commentator Jeols Jones.
“Sad actually,” wrote one social media user, Captain John Bailey.
In response to Bailey’s tweet, another man approved of his choice of adjective.
The exact word I would also use to describe that poor soul. No jokes coming in, just sympathy for him and the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, said Bruce Stauffer.
Others on the social media app weren’t kind to the Democratic politician.
One man wrote: “This is what our tax money does. This is not a serious country.”
Twitter user Nick Lentz commented, “It looks like Norm MacDonald is doing a bit.”
‘Not real. The sad part is that he’s probably doing better than Feinstein at the moment. What an absolute mockery of our political system that prioritizes keeping these people in power and decent representation of their constituents. Shameful…” another wrote.
Some on Twitter were willing to give Fetterman a little grace.
I understand what he’s saying. It will continue to improve. Give this man a blessing. His strokes did not affect his decision. His speech has stalled but it is clear what he is saying, someone wrote.
He’s clearly trying and I wouldn’t fault him for that. I wonder what to even say,” Cole Trim wrote.
Videos of Fetterman speaking during the meetings were posted to Twitter Wednesday afternoon by Greg Price and instantly went viral, racking up millions of views in hours.
“Sad actually,” trainer social media user John Bailey wrote.
One man wrote: “This is what our tax money does. This is not a serious country.”
He’s clearly trying and I wouldn’t fault him for that. I wonder what to even say,” Cole Trim wrote
One person mentioned that Fetterman “may be doing better” than fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein who has spent the past two months recovering from shingles
Fetterman reappeared on Capitol Hill Monday for the first time since his release from Walter Reed Medical Center last month.
He was let go at the end of March but returned home to Pennsylvania as the Senate was on spring break for two weeks.
“It’s great to be back,” Fetterman told reporters at The Hill at the time.
Almost all lawmakers returned Monday, including Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who was knocked out after hitting his head in a fall.
The notable exception is Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who remains in California where she’s spent the past two months recovering from shingles. You didn’t say when you’d be back.
Senator John Fetterman returned to the Capitol on Monday after a two-month absence receiving treatment for clinical depression
“It’s great to be back,” said Senator Fetterman.
