Aides have noted that a growing number of interactions with the Senator are becoming harder to justify.
A resurfaced video filmed earlier this year showing Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman arguing with airplane staff about a seatbelt went viral, prompting questions over Fetterman’s cognitive and mental capacities. The tense exchange was filmed by another passenger, where a staff member is clearly heard warning the senator that he would be asked to leave the aircraft if he did not comply with crew instructions. The video comes after a New York Magazine report shed new light on Fetterman’s apparent health struggles.
The incident, which occurred in February, was used in the article to highlight that Sen. Fetterman’s increasingly concerning behavior was becoming impossible to keep from the general public. The video shows a staff member telling Fetterman to ensure his seatbelt was visible at all times, to which the senator replied “I put my seatbelt on.” While the crew member’s words are clearly audible, Fetterman’s words are not for the majority of the video. He appeared to be mumbling, something his staff members have raised concern about.
The crew member can be heard telling Fetterman that “if you want to go to Pittsburgh it’s simple. You’re going to have to follow our instructions or be asked to get off the plane.” While it’s unclear exactly how the issue started, the crew member asks Fetterman if he needs a seatbelt extender to allow the seatbelt to be visible outside of his sweatshirt. It’s also unclear how the incident was resolved, although there have been no reports that the senator was forced to disembark.
Sen. Fetterman’s health is not a new topic of conversation. Previously, the 55-year-old former Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania suffered a stroke in May 2022 just 6 months before he was elected to his first term in the senate. On the campaign trail, questions remained about how Fetterman was recovering and whether he was mentally able to serve his term. A New York Times article from February 2023 details Fetterman’s struggle to adjust to life in the senate. In early 2023, he was hospitalized for over a month after he self-reported mental health issues. It was later revealed that Fetterman was treated for clinical depression.
The incident on the airplane is the latest in a string of bad publicity for the first-term senator. Adam Jentleson, Fetterman’s former Chief of Staff, reportedly told a doctor at Walter Reed Medical Center that Fetterman was “struggling” and “might not be with us for much longer.” Former aides also reported that Fetterman’s behavior was “on a bad trajectory” and had become increasingly difficult to explain.
In March, Pennsylvania’s Cumberland County Democratic Party chairman Matt Roan made headlines for calling on Fetterman to resign from the senate. Roan cited several issues with Fetterman’s mental health, but also expressed concern of the senator’s willingness to work across the aisle, and his vote in February to confirm the Trump administration’s Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi. Others have noted that Fetterman has limited his public appearances and has refused to hold Pennsylvania town halls.
Other staff members have said that while Fetterman was recovering well from his 2022 stroke, the stress and pressure of life in the senate has caused his condition to “deteriorate rapidly.” The New York Magazine profile addresses his depression, as well as concerns over his political future.
