An alleged outburst by Sen. John Fetterman is reopening concerns about whether the Pennsylvania Democrat is still fit for office after suffering a stroke several years ago.
Fetterman, a 55-year-old Democrat perhaps best known for his distinctive habit of almost always wearing gym shorts and a hoodie, suffered a stroke in 2022 and was later admitted to Walter Reed Hospital for depression for six weeks shortly after taking office.
The Associated Press reported this week that during a meeting with teachers’ union members from his state, Fetterman became agitated, began repeating himself, shouting and yelling: “Everybody is mad at me” and “Why does everyone hate me, what did I ever do?” He also reportedly slammed his hands on a desk during the outburst.
The outlet reported that Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) President Aaron Chapin was present at the meeting. Neither PSEA nor Chapin responded to Fox News Digital’s request to confirm or deny the incident.
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According to the AP, an aide cut off the meeting, ushered the visitors out and proceeded to break down crying.
The outburst came shortly before New York Magazine published a story detailing concerns about his mental health from several current and former staffers. The magazine reported that staffers “paint a picture of an erratic senator who has become almost impossible to work for and whose mental-health situation is more serious and complicated than previously reported.”
The article extensively cites testimony from Adam Jentleson, Fetterman’s former chief of staff, who voiced a plethora of concerning behavior, including “conspiratorial thinking; megalomania” and “high highs and low lows; long, rambling, repetitive and self centered monologues; lying in ways that are painfully, awkwardly obvious to everyone in the room.”
The article’s author went on to state that many of the staffers are not only worried about his fitness as a senator but also that “he may present a risk to the Democratic Party and maybe even to himself.”
In response to the AP report, Fetterman’s office sent Fox News Digital several comments from the senator in which he neither confirmed nor denied the outburst but instead, said: “Here’s what is true: We had a spirited conversation about our collective frustration with the Trump administration’s cuts to our education system.”
The senator said: “As a proud product of PSEA, I will always support our teachers, and I will always reject anyone’s attempt to turn Pennsylvania’s public schools into a voucher program.”
In reference to the New York Magazine article, Fetterman dismissed the concerns as “just disgruntled former staffers peddling lies and half-truths under the guise of ‘concern.’”
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Fetterman said that “if those were genuine concerns, they’d pick up the phone and call me, not the press,” adding, “My ACTUAL doctors and my family affirmed that I’m very well.”
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The senator has previously labeled the magazine’s report “a dumb hit piece,” saying: “We’ve all moved on.”
