Fetterman Struggles in NBC Interview, Needs Closed Captioning

NBC correspondent Dasha Burns broke news Tuesday when she revealed on both MSNBC and NBC Nightly News that Pennsylvania Democrat Senate candidate John Fetterman is in worse shape than originally thought after his near-debilitating stroke. 

Burns told viewers while previewing her exclusive interview with Fetterman that his “campaign required close captioning technology for this interview to essentially read our questions as we asked them.”  

She went on to note that “in small talk before the interview without captioning, it wasn’t clear he was understanding our conversation.” 

The first question out of the gate was whether voters can “trust that you will be able to do this job on day one.” 

Fetterman paused and glanced at the computer screen to read Burns’ question and said “yeah, of course.” 

Moving on, Burns narrated that this was “John Fetterman’s first in-person, sit-down interview since a stroke sidelined him from the campaign trail for months.” 

“That auditory processing where I’ll hear someone speaking but sometimes it’ll be precise on what exactly that they’re saying. I use captioning,” Fetterman explained. 

His struggles were evident early on in the interview:

I always thought I was pretty empathetic— emphatic. I think I was very—excuse me, empathetic, you know, that’s an example of the stroke empathetic. 

Burns asked politely, yet firmly: “you say you’re on the road to full recovery. But right now voters really have to take your word for it. We’ve asked for your medical records. We’ve asked to have a conversation with someone from your medical team, to interview your physician. You’ve declined those requests. Why?” 

Fetterman claimed he felt like “we have been very transparent in a lot of different ways. When our doctor has already given a letter saying that I’m able to serve and to be running.”

“I mean, respectfully that letter from your physician, that was six months ago. Don’t voters deserve to know your status now?” Burns shot back.  

Fetterman claimed that since he’s “in front of thousands and thousands of people and having interviews and getting around all across Pennsylvania,” that is enough evidence to let the “voters decide if they think it’s really the issue.” 

Despite his obvious struggles with putting together basic sentences, the Democrat Party and their propaganda arm in the media are still propping him up like nothing is wrong.

If he was a Republican candidate for United States Senate, this wouldn’t be Fetterman’s first tough interview and the media would be hounding him from now until November. 

To read the relevant transcript click “expand”:

NBC Nightly News
10/11/2022
7:10:26 p.m. Eastern 

LESTER HOLT: Another pivotal Senate race in Pennsylvania now considered a toss-up. Our Dasha Burns spoke with Democrat John Fetterman in his first in-person sit-down interview since he suffered a stroke. And Dasha, this was not a typical candidate interview. 

DASHA BURNS: No, Lester, because of his stroke, Fetterman’s campaign required close captioning technology for this interview to essentially read our questions as we asked them, and, Lester, in small talk before the interview without captioning, it wasn’t clear he was understanding our conversation. Can voters trust that you will be able to do this job on day one? 

JOHN FETTERMAN: Yeah, of course. 

BURNS: This as Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman’s first in-person, sit-down interview since a stroke sidelined him from the campaign trail for months. 

FETTERMAN: That auditory processing where I’ll hear someone speaking but sometimes it’ll be precise on what exactly that they’re saying. I use captioning. 

BURNS: His campaign required that he be allowed to use a transcription program on his computer during our interview. 

FETTERMAN: I always thought I was pretty empathetic— emphatic. I think I was very—excuse me, empathetic, you know, that’s an example of the stroke empathetic. 

I always thought I was empathetic before having a stroke but now after having that stroke, I really understand, you know, much more kind of the challenges that Americans have day in and day out. 

BURNS: So you say you’re on the road to full recovery. But right now voters really have to take your word for it. We’ve asked for your medical records. We’ve asked to have a conversation with someone from your medical team, to interview your physician. You’ve declined those requests. Why? 

 FETTERMAN: Well, I feel like we have been very transparent in a lot of different ways. When our doctor has already given a letter saying that I’m able to serve and to be running. 

BURNS: I mean, respectfully that letter from your physician, that was six months ago. Don’t voters deserve to know your status now? 

FETTERMAN: Being on—in front of thousands and thousands of people and having interviews and getting around all across Pennsylvania, that gives everybody and the voters decide if they think it’s really the issue. 

BURNS: Polls show Fetterman’s lead is shrinking against Republican Dr. Mehmet oz. It’s now a toss-up race that could determine control of the Senate. Republicans focusing on crime, in particular, Fetterman’s votes on the parole board. 

POLITICAL AD: Fetterman says he’s trying to get as many criminals out of prison as he can. 

BURNS: Including votes in favor of paroling convicted murderers. Are you soft on crime? 

FETTERMAN: Of course not. I’m actually effective on crime, and I believe in second chances, and I’ve run on that record. 

BURNS: Meanwhile, Fetterman going after Dr. Oz on abortion rights. 

FETTERMAN: Dr. Oz likes to make fun of me that I might miss a word, but, you know, he’s missed, you know, two words, and that is a yes or no on the national abortion ban. If you’re going to be our next Senator, you have to give the answer. 

BURNS: Lester, Fetterman told us he’s committed to debating Dr. Oz on October, 25 where he will also be using closed captioning. Lester?