Trump Jr. taking bipartisan flak over Fetterman remark
He called senator a ‘vegetable’ during CPAC address
Donald Trump Jr. is taking flak for calling U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., “a vegetable” during an address at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday.
Trump Jr., who often manages to out-brash his father when it comes to taunting political opponents, made his latest slam during a rant about politically correct speech, including criticism he took for making the same remark about Fetterman on a podcast last month.
Fetterman checked into the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Feb. 15 for treatment of clinical depression. That came about nine months after he suffered a major stroke during the 2022 primary election campaign that’s caused auditory processing problems he is trying to recover from.
At CPAC Friday, Trump Jr. said this:
“When I said, like, I don’t know, it’s sort of weird that Pennsylvania managed to elect a vegetable, they criticize me as being ableist. I didn’t know what that was. But there’s always an ‘ist.’ It doesn’t matter what you’re talking about. And apparently an ableist is someone who discriminates against those with disabilities.”
“I said: ‘Well, I’m not discriminating against any …’ I’d love for John Fetterman to have, like, good gainful employment. Maybe he could be, like, a bag guy at, like, a grocery store. But, like, is it unreasonable for me to expect, as a citizen of the United States of America, to have a United States senator have basic cognitive function?”
While some have questioned the wisdom of Fetterman’s decision to progress with his campaign even after suffering the major stroke, his doctors and his staff have consistently contended that Fetterman has lost no “cognitive function.”
Trump Jr. is the oldest son of former President Donald J. Trump.
On that national political stage, predictably, the younger Trump’s remarks drew swift and strong condemnation, even from conservative publications like National Review.
On its website Friday, commentator Wesley Smith called Trump Jr.’s comment “cruel,” adding:
“Yes, I know that Trump Jr.’s point was that Fetterman might be incapable of performing the work of a United States senator. That’s a legitimate issue, as is the senator’s hiding of his previous episodes of depression during the campaign.
“But the matter can be discussed quite thoroughly without slinging slurs at people who have mental challenges and disrespecting people who are cognitively disabled, as his “bag guy at a ... grocery store” snidery did. We are all equal. The people with special needs who bag our groceries have more class than Trump Jr. ever will.”
Meanwhile, Fetterman’s Democratic Senate colleague from Pennsylvania, Robert P. Casey Jr., tweeted this response on Saturday:
“Like millions of Americans, @JohnFetterman is working through stroke recovery and mental health issues. I’m proud to call him a friend and my partner in the Senate. Donald Trump Jr’s disgusting attacks say a lot more about him than they do John Fetterman.”
Part of what made Trump’s remarks stand out is that most political figures from both parties have applauded Fetterman for having the courage to seek help, and publicly wished him well in his treatment.
CPAC, which coins itself as the largest and most influential gathering of conservatives in the world, concluded Saturday at a convention center near Washington. The former president spoke at the closing session.