{"id":2438755,"date":"2025-05-24T16:17:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T20:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fetterman-suggests-people-weaponize-his-mental-health-struggles-over-politics-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-05-24T16:18:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T20:18:15","slug":"fetterman-suggests-people-weaponize-his-mental-health-struggles-over-politics-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fetterman-suggests-people-weaponize-his-mental-health-struggles-over-politics-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Fetterman suggests people \u2018weaponize\u2019 his mental health struggles over politics &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffetterman-suggests-people-weaponize-his-mental-health-struggles-over-politics-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2438755&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) has expressed concerns that his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/naomi-osaka-representing-japan-knocked-from-olympics-in-stunning-upset\/\" title=\"Naomi Osaka, Representing Japan, Knocked From Olympics In Stunning Upset\u00a0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/months-after-closing-beaches-newsom-smugly-suggests-people-hit-the-sand-for-their-mental-health\/\" title=\"Months After Closing Beaches, Newsom Smugly Suggests People Hit the Sand for Their Mental Health\">mental health<\/a> struggles<\/a> are being &#8220;weaponized&#8221; against him for political purposes as he faces scrutiny regarding his ability to serve in the Senate. Fetterman, who suffered a stroke prior to his election in November 2022 and later sought treatment for depression, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yet-another-migrant-caravan-headed-for-u-s-border-biden-and-harris-under-fire-for-ongoing-migrant-crisis\/\" title=\"Yet another migrant caravan headed for U.S. border, Biden and Harris under fire for ongoing migrant crisis\">faced renewed criticism<\/a> following a report suggesting he is struggling with his mental health. In an interview, he asserted that his opponents are leveraging his mental health challenges to undermine his position, as warned by his doctor. Additionally, Fetterman has been scrutinized for his attendance record in the Senate, where he noted that many missed votes were procedural and not significant.He emphasized the importance of family time as a reason for <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >prioritizing personal matters<\/a> over certain votes. Despite facing criticisms, he continues to receive support from various political figures and has committed to serving his term, which ends in January 2029, though he has not indicated whether he will run for reelection.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Fetterman suggests people &lsquo;weaponize&rsquo; his mental health struggles over politics<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2130070\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-fetterman\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"John Fetterman\">John Fetterman<\/a> (D-PA) claims his opponents are attempting to &ldquo;weaponize&rdquo; his mental health struggles as he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/facebook-oversight-board-member-warns-against-censoring-misinformation\/\" title=\"Facebook Oversight Board Member Warns Against Censoring Misinformation\">faces increased scrutiny<\/a> over his ability to serve in the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>The Pennsylvania Democrat was elected to his seat in November 2022, months after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1228860\/pa-democratic-senate-hopeful-john-fetterman-suffers-stroke\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">suffering<\/a>&nbsp;a stroke, and later was checked into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/176479\/fetterman-discharged-from-walter-reed-depression-now-in-remission\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">depression<\/a>&nbsp;in early 2023. Fetterman has come under renewed scrutiny over his ability to serve after a&nbsp;<em>New York&nbsp;<\/em>magazine&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3399337\/john-fetterman-profile-mental-health-struggles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a>&nbsp;published earlier in the month, sourced by former staffers in his office, claimed the senator was struggling with his mental health.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3420126\/senate-big-beautiful-bill-promises-upend-trump-house-compromise\/\">Senate promises to upend Trump&rsquo;s &lsquo;big, beautiful&rsquo; House compromise<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/energy-and-environment\/3418268\/senate-repeal-california-emissions-standards\/\">Senate votes to undo California plan to ban gas cars, sidestepping parliamentarian<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3419026\/biden-cancer-diagnosis-gop-investigation-white-house-aides\/\">Biden cancer diagnosis fuels GOP investigations on Capitol Hill<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Fetterman, in an interview with the <em>New York Times<\/em>, pushed back on such criticism and claimed his opponents are weaponizing his mental health struggles.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My doctor warned years ago: After it&rsquo;s public that you are getting help for depression, people will weaponize that,&rdquo; Fetterman told the outlet. &ldquo;Simple things are turned. That&rsquo;s exactly what happened.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He has also received <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3407275\/john-fetterman-attendance-frequent-senate-absences-controversies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"scrutiny\">scrutiny<\/a> over his attendance in the Senate, but claims most of the votes he has missed are meaningless procedural votes. The Pennsylvania Democrat had the third-worst attendance in the chamber in 2024, and has already missed more than two dozen votes this year.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The votes I missed were overwhelmingly procedural; they&rsquo;re even called &lsquo;bed check&rsquo; votes,&rdquo; Fetterman told the outlet. &ldquo;I had to make a decision: getting here and sticking my thumb in the door for three seconds for a procedural vote or spend Monday night as a dad-daughter date.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3407275\/john-fetterman-attendance-frequent-senate-absences-controversies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"FETTERMAN&rsquo;S FREQUENT SENATE ABSENCES ADD TO PILING CONTROVERSIES\">FETTERMAN&rsquo;S FREQUENT SENATE ABSENCES ADD TO PILING CONTROVERSIES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I would go visit my dad instead of a throwaway vote,&rdquo; Fetterman said, referring to his father, who recently had a heart attack.<\/p>\n<p>While Fetterman has received criticism from some people on his side of the aisle, he has also received support from both Democrats and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3406954\/republican-senators-john-fetterman-defense-critical-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Republicans\">Republicans<\/a> as he continues to manage his mental health. Fetterman&rsquo;s current term ends in January 2029, and while he insists he will serve out the rest of his term, he has not said if he will seek reelection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2130070\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2130070\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fetterman claims opponents are using his mental health for political gain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2438756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/john-fetterman-senate-may-2025.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[7921,35390,5894,50646],"class_list":["post-2438755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-fetterman","tag-mental-health","tag-politics","tag-weaponization-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/john-fetterman-senate-may-2025.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2438755"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2438759,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438755\/revisions\/2438759"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2438756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2438755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2438755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2438755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}