It’s easy to get angry with Senator John Fetterman. The erratic Pennsylvania senator often feels more like a Republican than a Democrat, recently becoming the only Democratic senator to join Republicans in supporting Donald Trump’s right to go to war with Iran without congressional approval.
Indeed, Fetterman has even apparently been approached to cross the aisle and become an actual Republican, though he says he’s turned down MAGA’s advances as “I’d be a terrible Republican“.
Despite all this, we feel more sympathy than anger towards Fetterman. All indications are that he’s suffered a neurological impairment after suffering at least one stroke and other cardiovascular issues, which have resulted in notorious mental health troubles.
This was on full display in this week’s interview with Bill Maher, in which Fetterman couldn’t even come close to articulating his position on lab-grown meat:
This is incredibly difficult to watch. I also think it’s perfectly reasonable to demand a serious examination of this man’s health and whether he is fit to serve pic.twitter.com/sqncIqoepA
— Julian Andreone (@JulianAndreone) May 12, 2026
“I just think I, I mean, as I’m a member of the agriculture… committee and I really stand with… with our farmers now. And now of course we don’t want like the factory farm situation and I’m absolutely opposed uh to… amina crewty but for me if I lived on Mars yeah uh, I know in, uh those kinds of enh, the kinds of.. what’s the lab meat would be a great uh, opportunity. But for me right now like it’s uh…”
I’m all for politicians being pressed to clarify their positions, but it feels sadistic that Maher then presses Fetterman over whether he wants to actually ban lab-grown meat:
“It.. it’s like a-actively I mean if if uh people have a chance t-the p-prod that but overall, for me, uh, I-I think y’know, someone that’s really I mean we are just uh, I thought, you know, the really highly highly processed hi.. food I mean that’s exactly the instance of that.”
Enough is enough…
Whoever is putting Fetterman in front of these cameras really needs to take a look in the mirror, because the man is clearly unwell. Perhaps in 2026 it’s not that uncommon for politicians to be completely unable to articulate something they apparently care about, but even by today’s low standards, this was a truly dispiriting interview.
Responses are what you’d expect, describing Fetterman as “damaged”, that he needs to “focus on his rehabilitation”, that they “feel bad for him” and, most succinctly, that this is “sad af”.
I can only concur. At this time, Fetterman shouldn’t be working; he should be with his family, enjoying as much time with them as possible. We can’t imagine he’s getting much enjoyment out of continuing to struggle through a day in the Senate in this condition, so someone needs to stage an intervention and get him out of there.
Published: May 12, 2026 05:29 am