A former top aide to Sen. John Fetterman is publicly expressing concern over the Pennsylvania senator’s well-being, citing signs of mental health struggles. He’s not alone, as anonymous former and current staffers have suggested Fetterman’s recent ideological shifts may be linked to underlying cognitive issues.
What’s notable is that these questions aren’t coming from right-wing media anymore. They’re now originating from the left. That marks a dramatic reversal from Fetterman’s early days on the national stage, when conservative outlets questioned his mental acuity following a stroke and a six-week stay at Walter Reed Medical Center. At that time, left-leaning outlets defended him.
Fetterman in 2022 on the campaign trail
Since being elected three years ago, media rhetoric has evolved. Fetterman suffered a stroke while campaigning for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat in 2022. His recovery was a central issue in his race against Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz.
During a debate, Fetterman relied on a real-time closed-captioning device to assist with auditory processing. The debate was widely viewed as a struggle for Fetterman, but he ultimately prevailed, winning the election.
A few months later, Fetterman admitted himself to Walter Reed Medical Center for clinical depression. After six weeks, he was discharged and returned to the Senate floor. At the time, it was right-leaning media questioning his capacity to serve.
“Personally, I feel bad for Fetterman,” Jesse Watters, Fox News host, said Oct. 26, 2022. “He can’t function at a level required to serve in the U.S. Senate.”
“Democrats, the media mob, the Fetterman Campaign — they’re all lying to all of us,” Sean Hannity, Fox News host, said Oct. 26, 2022. “John Fetterman is not mentally, physically, cognitively fit to serve.”
On the other side of the media aisle, hosts of “The View” and CNN analysts defended Fetterman following negative media coverage from the right after Fetterman’s debate.
“It takes real courage to show you’ve been knocked down. We know Fetterman’s cognitive abilities have not been compromised,” Sunny Hostin said Oct. 26, 2022.
“He does not appear to have a problem with cognition,” CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta said Oct. 12, 2022. “He’s responding quickly and supposedly took a couple of tests where he performed well on those tests.”
Former aide’s accusations come to light
Fast-forward to 2025, and criticism of Fetterman is now surfacing from the left.
A New York Magazine exclusive featured an interview with Fetterman’s former chief of staff, Adam Jentleson. He said he resigned in March 2024 due to “Fetterman’s behavior.” Two months after his resignation, he sent a 1,600-word email titled “Concerns” to Fetterman’s doctor.
“It contained a list of them, from the seemingly mundane (‘He eats fast food multiple times a day’) to the scary (‘We do not know if he is taking his meds and his behavior frequently suggests he is not’),” the article read.
“We often see the kind of warning signs we discussed,” Jentleson said, according to the magazine. “Conspiratorial thinking; megalomania (for example, he claims to be the most knowledgeable source on Israel and Gaza around but his sources are just what he reads in the news — he declines most briefings and never reads memos); 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.”
New York Magazine reported that other former staffers shared similar worries: “Many of the staffers I spoke with are angry. They are troubled. And they are sad. These were some of Fetterman’s truest believers, and they now question his fitness to be a senator. They worry he may present a risk to the Democratic Party and maybe even to himself.”
Fetterman dismissed the article.
“It was a hit piece, a one-source hit piece and some anonymous sources,” Fetterman said to reporters Tuesday, May 13. “There’s nothing new. We’ve all moved on. It’s just a disgruntled group of people. There’s only one. No new news involved in this.”
During a CNN interview, when a reporter asked whether he’s still taking his medication, Fetterman pushed back:
“My doctors are like, ‘John is great.’ I am on the same plan I’ve always been,” Fetterman told CNN. “Why are people talking about anyone’s personal medical things? I think most people would agree that’s really, really invasive.”
More media pile on from left outlets
The New York Magazine article sparked a wave of follow-ups.
The Associated Press reported that Fetterman shouted during a meeting with union officials, slammed his hands on a desk and left attendees shaken. A staffer reportedly left the room in tears.
Axios described Fetterman as “uninterested in the day-to-day duties of a senator” and said his behavior “unnerved” aides.
Politico cited internal polling showing Fetterman’s unfavorable rating at 49%, compared to 46% favorable. However, it acknowledged that the data contradicts other public polling, including Morning Consult surveys, which show rising support, especially from Republican voters.
The poll details remain vague: We don’t know who conducted it, how questions were framed or the polling methodology. Politico said it involved 500 Democratic primary voters in Pittsburgh but did not publish the poll or the questions.
The framing of “tanking” approval ratings may be misleading, especially without context and without previous numbers for comparison. According to media watchdog group AllSides, “When a journalist uses qualifying adjectives, they are suggesting a way for you to think about or interpret the issue, instead of just giving you the facts and letting you make judgements for yourself.”
Right-wing outlets criticize left’s timing
Right-leaning media outlets, which once questioned Fetterman’s fitness for office, are now defending him, particularly in light of his more moderate stances and vocal support for Israel, which have put him at odds with many progressives within his party.
The Daily Wire reported the timing of the left’s criticism as politically motivated, publishing the headline: “As Fetterman defends Israel, Dems suddenly question his mental health.”
National Review reported there was irony in the shift, writing, “In the wake of Fetterman’s stroke, his election to the Senate, and his struggles in the job culminating in his admission to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Americans were told that the senator was just fine. Today, with Fetterman’s speech patterns seemingly having fully recovered…we’re told that he’s truly unwell.”
The New York Post echoed this sentiment in an article titled “Liberal media turn on John Fetterman,” suggesting the backlash stems from his growing alignment with more centrist or even conservative viewpoints.
Fetterman’s policy positions buck the party line
Criticism of Fetterman from fellow Democrats has intensified, fueled by both the recent mental health concerns and frustration with his recent political stances.
Fetterman has opposed calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying all Hamas terrorists must first be eliminated.
Fetterman met with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in January, defending the move as bipartisan engagement.
Sen. Fetterman has also criticized his party’s stance on the border, saying, “It can’t be controversial for our party to be pro-immigration and want a secure border.”
Fetterman co-sponsored the Republican-led Laken Riley Act, which requires DHS to detain immigrants illegally in the U.S. convicted of crimes. He has also voted with Republicans to confirm 10 of Trump’s Cabinet picks, which is tied for the most help from a Democrat in the confirmation process.
Media flip-flops on Fetterman to fit political narrative
Sen. John Fetterman’s political and personal journey has been anything but conventional. Once the subject of intense scrutiny from right-leaning media, he’s now receiving support from the same outlets that previously questioned his cognitive abilities, while many on the left have reversed their position and begun raising new alarms.
Fetterman has made clear he has no plans to resign and still identifies as a Democrat, though he now distances himself from the progressive wing of the party, according to an interview he gave with NBC. As media narratives continue to shift, the question becomes whether Fetterman’s policy stances, or the mental health concerns coming from his staff, will shape public perception of his fitness to serve. At the heart of the coverage is a deeper question over whether the concern is about Fetterman’s capacity to serve or about the discomfort his political ideology is creating within the Democratic Party.