U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) claimed on Thursday the media is obsessed with “smearing” President Joe Biden in the wake of his poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump, which left Democrats debating whether he should step aside in favor of another candidate.
Fetterman, in a post to the social media platform X, suggested the media is ignoring negative news stories about Trump after the current and former presidents sparred in their first presidential debate.
After accusing Trump of being a “serial liar” who “vowed to be a dictator,” Fetterman said, “the media still obsesses on smearing a good President and a decent man.”
The senator referenced The New York Times article, which noted Biden “spoke haltingly” during a pair of Thursday radio interviews when he mistakenly stated that he was “the first black woman to serve with a black president.”
Fetterman claimed, “If anyone lost their way, it’s The New York Times.”
The senator’s accusation appears to echo that of Biden’s campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa, who told The Times of Biden’s incorrect statement, “This is not news and the media has passed the point of absurdity here.”
Moussa claimed “[i]t was clear” Biden was referring to his record, “including a record number of appointments to the federal bench,” when he made the statement, according to The Times.
In another post to social media, Fetterman referred to criticisms of Biden as “cheap shots from the cheap seats,” and in a third declared his refusal “to join the Democratic vultures on Biden’s shoulder after the debate.”
Fetterman wrote, “No one knows more than me that a rough debate is not the sum total of a person and their record.”
The senator’s social media posts follow his appearance on “Fox News Sunday” last week when he cited his own poor debate performance against former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz in 2022, which occurred while the Democrat was recovering from a stroke.
“We both had a difficult debate. Yet we still managed to go on to win,” argued Fetterman. He added, “Everybody was calling that was the end of my career, that was the end of this race, and everyone was predicting that I was going to lose, actually, by two points or more.”
Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) joined Fetterman in expressing his support for Biden on Monday after his Republican opponent, Dave McCormick, accused him of “lying to Pennsylvanians” about Biden’s mental and physical fitness.
“Bob Casey has been protecting Joe Biden for years and lying to Pennsylvanians about his ability to serve as Commander-in-Chief,” stated McCormick.
The Republican has also argued Biden’s cabinet officials should consider their “responsibility” to remove the president from office using the 25th Amendment if they determine he is unable to fulfill his duties.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Joe Biden” by President Joe Biden.
