Dave McCormick calls for an end to ‘vicious, personal attacks’ against John Fetterman’s well-being and wife, Gisele

Republican Sen. Dave McCormick is defending Sen. John Fetterman after the Pennsylvania Democrat’s well-being and ability to carry out the duties of a U.S. senator have come under widespread scrutiny.

“It’s time to put politics aside and stop these vicious, personal attacks against Senator Fetterman, his wife, and his health,” McCormick said in a post on X Friday morning, saying that Fetterman is “authentic, decent, principled, and a fighter,” and that the allegations against the Democrat are “not the John that I know and respect.”

The freshman Pennsylvania senator’s statement comes after half a dozen former Fetterman staffers told The Inquirer that their former boss isn’t adequately doing his job. They described a deeply isolated senator who missed votes, canceled meetings, had an outburst with a teachers union, and maintained a sparse schedule.

And last week, a New York Magazine profile of the Democrat drew attention to staffers’ concerns about his questionable behavior, physical health, and at-times tense relationship with his wife, Gisele, who reportedly suffered injuries from a car accident where Fetterman was found “at fault.”

Some of that behavior, which became increasingly difficult for staff to explain, includes getting into an argument with an airline crew member over his seat belt on a flight to Pittsburgh.

In light of this news, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Thursday that “the best judge” of Fetterman’s health is the senator and his family, and that they, along with Pennsylvanians, are also the best judge of his capabilities to be an effective U.S. senator.

McCormick’s defense has been more forceful than that of members of Fetterman’s own party. GOP Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the Senate’s president pro tempore, have also shown support for Fetterman.

Since assuming office in January, McCormick and Fetterman, who has been willing to cross party lines, have seemingly formed a healthy working relationship.

“While we have many differences, we are both committed to working together to achieve results for the people of Pennsylvania and make their lives better,” McCormick said Friday.

McCormick told The Inquirer in February that he sees an opportunity to collaborate across the aisle with Fetterman on issues like Israel and antisemitism. The two also sat down for a joint profile for the Washington Post opinion section where it was described that they have a “warm relationship.”

Following his rightward shift, Fetterman had seen a bump in his approval rating earlier this year among all Pennsylvania voters, according to a statewide survey from Morning Consult in January. But an internal Democratic poll in the Pittsburgh mayoral race from February showed that a plurality of Democrats in the state’s second-largest city had an unfavorable view of the senator, according to a Politico report.

In March, Fetterman was scheduled to help promote McCormick’s book about mentorship at an event in Pittsburgh before it was canceled “due to an unforeseen logistical issue” after activists threatened they would protest.

On Friday, a group of about 20 protesters gathered at Independence Mall in Philadelphia before marching to Fetterman’s office in a weekly demonstration organized by Indivisible Philadelphia, a progressive group that supported Fetterman’s 2022 campaign but has since been unsatisfied with his leadership.

They listed grievances with the Trump administration and called on Fetterman to do more to engage with his constituents and resist Trump. One protester held a sign calling on him to resign.

Activist Joan Brooks said Fetterman hasn’t responded to their calls for him to join them for a town hall and acknowledged the recent media coverage of the senator.

“We know that Fetterman is not responding to us,” Brooks said. “We also know that he’s not well.”