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Joe Biden defended Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman as “my kind of guy” after a barrage of criticism and doubt emerged over his suitability for office after the effects of his stroke were fully shown during a debate with Republican opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz last week.
Visiting a Delaware polling station on Saturday, Biden told members of the assembled press that Fetterman “just gets better and better.”
“I thought he knew what he was doing, I thought he was strong,” Biden said as he reflected on his meeting with the Democratic nominee on Friday.
“Look, Fetterman is Pennsylvania. Fetterman is everything he appears to be,” he added, removing his sunglasses.
Biden took part in the early voting Saturday at a polling station near his home in Wilmington, Delaware. He was joined by his granddaughter Natalie Biden, 18, Beau and Hallie’s daughter, who voted for the first time.
“Fetterman is my kind of man,” Biden told press after casting his vote. “And I think he’ll be fine.”
Speaking about the upcoming election, the president said he feels “good” about the campaign so far, but that comes after his latest blunder when he claimed he campaigned in 54 states.
President Joe Biden has defended Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman by claiming that he is “my kind of guy” and “just gets better and better.” Pictured: Biden cast an early vote Saturday in Wilmington, Delaware for the 2022 midterms with granddaughter Natalie, 18, (right) voting for the first time
“I may not say everything perfectly sometimes, but I will always do the right thing if you send me to Washington, DC,” Fetterman said at Friday’s event.
Biden said of the 2022 midterms on Saturday: “This is not a referendum. It’s a fundamental choice between two different people.’
For months, Dr. Oz polled about 10 points behind Fetterman to take the seat of outgoing Republican Senator Pat Toomey — but the gap narrowed to just 1 percentage point in the past month as the effects of the Democrat’s stroke began to show.
Fetterman suffered a stroke in May but said he is recovering well and insists he is fit for office.
The demise of his campaign began with an interview earlier this month in which Fetterman used real-time captioning to fully understand the questions being asked.
The effects of Fetterman’s stroke have recently become fully apparent, leading Dr. Mehmet Oz, his Republican challenger, caught up in the polls ahead of Election Day. Biden appeared with Fetterman for a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Friday
NBC News correspondent Dasha Burns said on the broadcast that during a chat before the cameras rolled, Fetterman had a hard time understanding the conversation.
Fetterman’s wife Gisele has demanded an apology from Burns, saying the criticism of her husband is an attack on the disabled community.
The Democratic nominee was criticized for his debate last week with Oz, who is backed by Trump.
Viewers noticed that Fetterman struggled to get through his hour-long debate.
Fetterman’s delivery was often faltering and choppy, as Oz harnessed the charm he honed in 13 seasons of TV.
At one point, the hopeful Democratic Senate was asked to clarify its stance on fracking, as moderators pointed to a 2018 interview where the lieutenant governor spoke widely against the practice, but no ban.
“I support fracking — I don’t, I don’t — I support fracking, and I support fracking,” he muttered.
In early mail-in voting, 780,546 voters in Pennsylvania have already cast their ballots ahead of the November 8, 2022 midterm election day.
Biden criticized critics who claim he is also unfit for office at a meeting with Fetterman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Friday, where he claimed he had been to four more states than there are at a rally to gain support. for the embattled Democrat.
The 79-year-old president made garbled comments about how his administration has improved health care, falsely saying that “we went to 54 states” to prevent drug companies from driving up drug prices.
The criticism stemmed from an interview with NBC News earlier this month, where Fetterman used real-time captioning to better understand the conversation and the questions being asked.
A corner of the interview showed a large computer screen on which the transcript appeared as he and interviewer Dasha Burns (left) spoke
‘And by the way, if they do, that means — no joke, anyone; that’s why we beat it in 2018 when they tried. We went to 54 states,” Biden said. “The reason is that people didn’t realize that the only reason someone with a pre-existing condition can get health care is because of that Affordable Care Act.”
His addition of four nonexistent states is the latest in a long line of gaffes that continue to raise concerns for the health of Biden, the oldest president in US history.
Despite those concerns, Biden has insisted he will run for a second term in 2024.