American politician John Fetterman suddenly became a New Democrat darling two years ago. Two years later, he managed to win election to the Senate in Pennsylvania, though not without a lot of drama.
Last May he had a stroke and was on the verge of death. In November he won the by-election against TV doctor and Republican Mehmet Oz, but in February he admitted himself to a psychiatric hospital, as a result of severe depression.
Fetterman returned to the Senate on Monday after receiving treatment for depression, but in the meantime, a sensational rumor surfaced on social media.
Brutal election campaign: – He almost died
double gangs?
In late March, Twitter users began speculating whether Fetterman had a so-called “body double,” or double.
One user compared two photos of Fetterman and suggested they were two different people. The post, which went viral and was viewed by more than 10 million users, claimed that the photos were taken three weeks apart.
GONE VIRAL: This tweet has had over ten million impressions on Twitter. Screenshot: Twitter
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In fact, both photos were of Fetterman and were taken nine months old, he writes Philadelphia Inquirer.
One is a portrait from February that Fetterman posted on Twitter. The newspaper wrote that the second was taken in May 2022 when he left Lancaster Hospital after suffering a stroke.
– This is madness
On Tuesday, he himself commented on the rumors.
– I thought it was time to address the rumors: I don’t have a double, Fetterman wrote on Twitter and added a video.
There he says he’s back and feeling 100 percent. With a twinkle in his eye, he dismissed the accusations.
– While I was in the hospital, a rumor started that I had a doppelgänger. It’s crazy, it’s not true, he says before being interrupted by what’s supposed to be his lookalike in the video.
Loud
At the end of March, Fetterman left the hospital after being admitted, and in an interview with CBS shortly thereafter he spoke of difficult times.
– This will be the first time that I am on the road to recovery from my depression. “And I can’t wait to see how I really feel, to take it all in, and start making up for lost time,” Fetterman said.
It is not uncommon for people who have had a stroke to experience depression later on, The Guardian writes. And in January, people around Fetterman began to realize something was wrong.
– I stopped leaving my bed. I stopped eating. I lost weight. I stopped engaging in a lot of the things I love about my life, Fetterman told CBS.
“Coffee trailblazer. Certified pop culture lover. Infuriatingly humble gamer.”
