Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) acknowledged on Wednesday that although he typically dresses “like a slob,” he decided to wear a suit to the State of the Union address out of respect for the event.
Fetterman, known for his get-up of hoodies, shorts, and sneakers that helped prompt a temporary loosening of Senate norms, said he made an exception for the annual speech to honor both the presidency and solemnity of the event.
“Yes, I do dress like a slob, but I mean for me, I’m going to respect the event. Respect that’s the dress code,” he said in an interview with CNN.
Fetterman also noted that he caught some flack from his fellow Democrats because he was not only seated in the front row during the address but shook President Donald Trump’s hand. He said that other prominent Democrats, such as New York City’s socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, are not held to the same standard.
“If someone’s angry that I shook the president’s hand as he walked in, that’s on them,” Fetterman said. “I think some of the people that were angry that I did that, they didn’t really have a problem when Mamdani visited with the White House.”
Prior to the address, Fetterman urged his colleagues to remain polite during the address and said there is no dignity in heckling. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) shared similar sentiments and asked his colleagues to sit silently. Both said they would prefer Democrats to boycott rather than interrupt.
However, a handful of Democrats did not listen to their pleas, with Rep. Al Green (D-TX) holding up a sign reading “Black people aren’t apes” in response to a Trump Truth Social racist trope video depicting the Obamas as gorillas as well as Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) shouting at the president. Green was ejected from the chamber soon after holding up the sign.
On other aspects of the 108-minute address, Fetterman has also weighed in on Trump’s brief mention of plans in Iran. Trump did not reveal any concrete plans against Iran but instead maintained he would prefer to solve troubles through diplomacy and would not allow the country to have a nuclear weapon.
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Fetterman said the United States has the “unique opportunity to topple” Iran and said he plans to vote against a bill that directs Trump to withdraw military forces from Iran.
“The president absolutely needs to have the flexibility,” Fetterman said. “I absolutely support that as a Democrat, [but] also as someone who thinks that’s the right thing in the region.”
