Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said Wednesday the most qualified candidates are not elected to congressional office.
“America is not sending their best and brightest, you know, to Washington, D.C.,” Fetterman told Stephen Colbert in an appearance on “The Late Show.”
“Sometimes, you literally just can’t believe, you know, these people are making the decisions that are determining the government here.”
The senator also told Colbert he has struggled with communication following his stroke in 2022, making use of voice-to-text technology as an aid ever since. He criticized his coverage in the media, saying “every word” he misses is “like candy for Fox News.”
“I’m so grateful that after the stroke that — I had some lingering processing auditory issues, and now sometimes I use this captioning. And that is nothing different than having glasses, like you have,” Fetterman said.
“So, I absolutely can process everything, but sometimes the language gets lost in translation, so I use when I’m able to interact, and it really made me a fully more empathetic person,” the senator added, gesturing to the closed captioning device he began using after his stroke. (RELATED: ‘Political Loser’: John Fetterman Dons Bob Casey Mask While Mocking Impeachment)
Fetterman wore his trademark sweatshirt and basketball shorts to the interview. He called Congress “dysfunctional” and said “[i]t’s much worse than you think.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer briefly changed the Senate dress code in a move widely seen to appease Fetterman before the decision was overruled in late September, restoring the dress code.
The senator has made several gaffes following his stroke and displayed over-the-top reactions. He said in September he has “lost [his] ability to fully process language” during a Senate hearing.