Sen. John Fetterman, D-P.A., attempted to bash Republican lawmakers on a late night show Wednesday — and the attack immediately backfired.
Dressed in his finest hooded sweatshirt and exercise shorts, Fetterman tried to joke with liberal comedian Stephen Colbert.
“You all should know, America is not sending their best and brightest, you know, to Washington, D.C,” the Pennslyvania senator said to laughter.
Fetterman suffered potentially irreversible brain damage from a stroke during his 2021 election campaign. He is unable to understand spoken word and relies on a computer text translator to communicate.
Critics have repeatedly questioned whether Fetterman has the mental capacity to serve as a lawmaker.
“Like, sometimes — sometimes you literally can’t even believe, like, ya know, these people are making the decisions that are… ya know… determining the government here,” he said without a hint of irony. “It’s… it’s actually scary.”
The Republican National Committee immediately pounced and posted the clip on social media, and users had a field day.
One critic asked, “Does he own a mirror”?
“I agree… and he’s a shining example,” another replied.
“You’re got to give credit where credit is due. Self-awareness is the first step to self improvement,” said a third. “Although in his case, it’s a really big first step.”
“Who’s gonna tell him?” asked one user.
Take a look at the viral clip —
John Fetterman, completely unironically: "America is not sending their best and brightest, you know, to Washington, D.C." pic.twitter.com/9ExRRSBs3X
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 12, 2023