It’s long been known that Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman isn’t your typical senator. For starters, he can’t even seem to dress appropriately for work.
On Thursday, Senator Bernie Sanders held a press conference in the Senate media room, where several other senators joined him. Fetterman was one of them. But unlike his colleagues, Fetterman showed up in a white Carhartt hoodie, sneakers, and shorts.
As you can imagine, his attire pretty much stole the show. Instead of paying attention to what everyone was saying, it was hard not to focus on Fetterman’s informal clothing choices.
Now, to be sure, the Senate doesn’t have set wardrobe requirements. Additionally, it’s been something of a commonality for Fetterman to dress, even for very public events, in a hoodie and shorts. He did so on the campaign trail nearly nonstop.
However, thanks to decades of precedent in the Senate and the respect such a position holds, we all assumed that more formal wear, such as a suit and tie, would become the norm for Fetterman once he took office. That certainly does seem to be the case for proceedings on the Senate floor and in committee rooms.
But as this event proves, he doesn’t abide by precedent for everything.
I suppose there is something to be said of a political leader who doesn’t always follow what is expected and bucks tradition a bit. In fact, that is what so many people liked about Donald Trump as president. And I suppose that is what could have helped Fetterman get elected, by being seen as more of one of the people and not your typical politician.
But now that he’s in the Senate, shouldn’t he be at least dressing the part, especially when speaking to the nation from a press conference for the Senate?
Then again, he can’t even seem to finish his sentences or thought processes anymore…
