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Fresh Out of Walter Reed, CBS Asks Fetterman About Presidential Aspirations

'Can you have aspirations beyond the United States Senate?"

April 3, 2023

Days after Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa) was released from his weeks-long hospitalization for depression, he sat down for an interview with CBS News in which he was asked about his "aspirations" beyond the U.S. Senate. 

"Your trajectory from mayor to lieutenant governor, United States senator, was still pointing up. At 53 in politics that's a young man, can you have aspirations? Can you serve beyond the United States Senate?" CBS Sunday Morning host Jane Pauley asked Fetterman, who was released from Walter Reed Medical Center Friday after a six-week stay for "severe" depression and is still recovering from his May 2022 stroke. 

Fetterman brushed off a potential White House bid, saying he will focus on being "the kind of dad, the kind of husband, and the kind of senator that Pennsylvania deserves."

The interview comes after left-leaning mainstream media outlets received criticism throughout the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate campaign for being too soft in their coverage of Fetterman, whose health and ability to serve was questioned by conservatives.

Sunday’s interview featured flattering commentary from Pauley, who began the broadcast noting that she "found Senator Fetterman hopeful, optimistic, ready to return to the United States Senate and his role as a dad."

She also called Fetterman a "​​rising political star" and "unlikely darling of the fashion world," referring to the New York Times placing him on its "Most Stylish" list.  

After Fetterman suffered a stroke in May 2022 that impaired his ability to speak and comprehend speech, the candidate was rarely pressed by media outlets on the constant gaffes he made on the campaign trail.

Media outlets downplayed Fetterman’s struggles in his Oct. 2022 debate performance, which was full of incomprehensible answers as Fetterman struggled to talk and read from his teleprompter. He appeared on shows like The View, where the hosts fawned over him and allowed him to take his time with easy questions. 

When the media did ask difficult questions, the Fetterman camp cried foul. His wife, Gisele, called for "consequences" for an NBC News reporter who asked about his stroke recovery. 

Published under: John Fetterman