Sen. Fetterman Suffers Heart Episode, But It’s His Own Party That’s Turning Against Him

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., was hospitalized Thursday after a ventricular fibrillation flare-up caused him to fall and strike his face during an early morning walk near his Braddock home.

The 56-year-old senator sustained minor facial injuries but is doing well under observation at a Pittsburgh hospital, according to a statement from his office posted on X.

"During an early morning walk, Senator Fetterman sustained a fall near his home in Braddock," the statement said. "Out of an abundance of caution, he was transported to a hospital in Pittsburgh."

Upon evaluation, doctors determined the irregular heart rhythm — which disrupts blood flow and can be life-threatening — left Fetterman lightheaded, prompting the fall.

He chose to remain hospitalized to adjust his medication regimen.

Fetterman, known for his casual attire and blunt style, quipped in the statement: "If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!"

The incident follows Fetterman's recent bipartisan votes, including joining seven other Democrats and one independent to advance a Republican-led bill averting the longest government shutdown in U.S. history on Nov. 9.

The measure, signed by President Donald Trump on Nov. 10, passed the Senate 60-40 and the House shortly after.

Fetterman's health struggles have shadowed his career.

He suffered a near-fatal stroke in May 2022 during his Senate campaign, impairing his speech and mobility.

The condition forced limited campaigning, and in a pivotal October debate against Republican Mehmet Oz, Fetterman struggled with words, drawing scrutiny over his fitness for office. He won the race by 5 points.

In February 2023, weeks into his term, Fetterman sought inpatient treatment for clinical depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

His new memoir, "Unfettered," released Tuesday, details suicidal ideation post-election: He described feeling “nothing” on Election Day and a “daze of doom” afterward, moving in with his parents and losing significant weight from refusing food.

"Whoever is in your life, they need you," Fetterman told CBS News on Sunday. "To anyone going through this right now, stay in this game. You will get better, and my being here right now is a testament to that."

Fetterman irked progressives by criticizing Democrats as "rudderless" in a Fox News interview and calling colleagues "complete dicks" on CNN, tying the barbs to his shutdown vote and memoir promotion.

Online, some self-identified Democrats and liberals expressed schadenfreude, linking the fall to his apostasy.

These instances highlight deepening rifts, with some Democrats viewing Fetterman's cross-aisle moves as betrayal amid his vulnerabilities.

In the viper pit of Washington, where loyalty is a one-way street and vulnerability a punchline, Fetterman's tumble isn't just a medical mishap—it's poetic justice for a party that props up the broken but devours the healed. The progressive wolves, once cooing over his stutter, now howl for his scalp because he dares think for himself. Democrats didn't save Fetterman from his stroke; they weaponized it. Now, as he staggers back from the brink—again—they sharpen their knives, proving once more that in the cult of the blue donkey, independence is a death sentence. Heal fast, Senator. The real fibrillation is in the hearts of those who cheered your fall.