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The wife of Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is being savaged on social media for “abandoning” him while he’s hospitalized for clinical depression so she can go on vacation. Gisele Fetterman revealed that the first thing she did after he was admitted was to leave the country.
John Fetterman, who is continuing to struggle after a major stroke last year during his campaign against Trump-backed GOP candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz, checked himself into a hospital for a multi-week treatment regimen after the physician for the U.S. Senate recommended he do so.
Gisele Fetterman, who lived in the U.S. illegally for at least a decade, revealed that she took her family to vacation in Canada after her husband was admitted, The Daily Wire reported.
“I am not really sure how to navigate this journey but am figuring it out slowly,” she said. “1 week ago today when the news dropped, the kids were off from school and media trucks circled our home. I did the first thing I could think of … pack them in the car and drive.”
I am not really sure how to navigate this journey but am figuring it out slowly. 1 week ago today when the news dropped, the kids were off from school and media trucks circled our home. I did the first thing I could think of … pack them in the car and drive.
— Gisele Barreto Fetterman (@giselefetterman) February 24, 2023
She added: “We drove straight into … Canada (and lovely Buffalo NY) (Pro Tip: always have passports ready just in case you have to run away) We talked about lots of hard things and how we will all have to face hard things. About the need to be gentle … with all and with ourselves.”
“We did some scary things but we did them together. We ziplined over Niagara Falls and August got stuck. We talked about flexibility and the need to always have an open heart and an open mind,” she added in a tweet that included a short video clip and a photo of her and the couple’s kids.
We did some scary things but we did them together. We ziplined over Niagara Falls and August got stuck 🫠. We talked about flexibility and the need to always have an open heart and an open mind. pic.twitter.com/IyuvBBXaOe
— Gisele Barreto Fetterman (@giselefetterman) February 24, 2023
She was blasted on social media after her post. Defense of Freedom Institute spokeswoman Angela Morabito wrote on Twitter, “She abandoned her husband in the hospital, took her kids to another country, and wants you to believe she’s inspirational.”
Michael Duncan of the Cavalry public affairs firm tweeted, “In any good prenup this behavior would immediately annul the marriage. I still can’t believe [the tweet is] real, this is textbook malignant narcissist behavior.”
Noted Seattle-based conservative radio host Jason Rantz: “Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-PA) wife brags about abandoning her husband in the hospital and fleeing the country on vacation while he battles severe depression.”
Last week, NBC News reporter Dasha Burns noted that senior aides to Sen. Fetterman indicated that “it’s been difficult to distinguish the stroke from the depression – saying it’s hard to tell at times if Fetterman is ‘not hearing you, or is he sort of crippled by his depression and social anxiety.’”
“A senior aide tells me both the staff and Fetterman himself were taken by surprise by the severe onset of depression,” she noted. “The aide also says this hasn’t compromised his ability to do the job going forward, and he will be back to work once he has taken care of his mental health.”
Last week after he checked himself in for treatment, his team spoke to NBC News for a segment, noting that the topic of resignation was “never discussed and is not on the table.”
“While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks,” Adam Jentleson, Fetterman’s Chief of Staff said when his team announced the senator’s situation on Thursday.
“After examining John, the doctors at Walter Reed told us that John is getting the care he needs, and will soon be back to himself,” he said, but he did not indicate how long the senator would be on the shelf.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., "checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression,” his chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, said. @ryanobles reports on the latest. pic.twitter.com/NOfB2og0aL
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 17, 2023
The freshman senator checked into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Thursday, according to his chief of staff, “to receive treatment for clinical depression,” according to CNN.
“On Monday, John was evaluated by Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress. Yesterday, Dr. Monahan recommended inpatient care at Walter Reed. John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis,” Chief of Staff Adam Jentleson noted in a statement, the outlet reported.