John Fetterman can’t make Fox News happy – no matter how he dresses

While John Fetterman was a candidate for US Senate in Pennsylvania, he faced regular attacks from Fox News for his tried and true outfit of a hoodie and basketball shorts.

Now that he’s arrived in the Senate, preparing to take office after the new year, they’re not too happy with him in a suit either.

On Tuesday night, Fox News primetime host Laura Ingraham debuted a series she called “Mr Fetterman goes to Washington,” a reference to the 1939 film Mr Smith Goes to Washington.

“Tonight we’re kicking off the first in a series we’ll call Mr Fetterman goes to Washington. Newly elected Senate members had their orientation and Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman was almost unrecognisable in a suit,” Ingraham said.

“Now, the massive marionette was greeted as a conquering hero by his new masters. But it wasn’t all breezy as Shrek made his first trek through the halls of the senate, he was asked about his trademark look,” she added.

“When a reporter tweeted they didn’t get a response to the question, his adviser was quick to swoop in, replying, ‘He’s still recovering from a stroke and has lingering auditory processing challenges. The way Hill reporters are used to yelling questions at senators will not work here’. Now, why do I get the sense that this line’s going to be well-worn throughout the next few years?” Ingraham pondered.

“But beyond those pesky reporters, Fetterman has another potential challenger to keep his eye on, and it’s one of his closest friends — well, his wife, Gisele. During the campaign, there were suggestions she was really pulling all the strings because she gave speeches, did interviews and some even mused that she was angling to replace him if he should win,” she added.

Ingraham suggested that Ms Fetterman is “slowly pushing him out of the frame” pointing to an image posted to her Twitter account of her and Mr Fetterman outside his new senate office.

Part of Mr Fetterman remained out of frame in the image.

Ingraham claimed that Mr Fetterman being cropped out was “part of a larger narrative” as she noted that Mr Fetterman, at 6’8’, had been partially cut out of an image of the couple posing with the senior senator from Pennsylvania – Democrat Bob Casey and his wife Terese Foppiano.

Giggling, Ingraham said, “as you can see here, the top of his head is cut off, so how long until he’s cropped out of the pictures completely?”

Another Fox News host also remarked on the image from the office entrance, saying “at least he’s wearing a suit, and not a hoodie and basketball shorts”.

The host added that “Gisele takes centre stage,” claiming that this was “the plan all along”.

Journalist Aaron Rupar wrote on Wednesday that “this is so unspeakably pathetic. Fox News has repeatedly attacked Gisele Fetterman in the last 24 hours”.

Lawyer Max Kennerly tweeted that “this segment is a case study of the four-part Fox News method. 1) Pick a villain, preferably a woman and/or minority. Gisele immigrated from Brazil. 2) Find something innocuous. The Fettermans have a long-running gag about John not fitting in pictures”.

“3) Reframe the innocuous thing as contemptible: the picture shows Gisele is self-centered. 4) Inject a deranged conspiracy theory: John is incapacitated and there’s a secret plot for him to resign and then Gov-elect Shapiro will appoint Gisele. Rinse, repeat,” he added.