Did Sen. John Fetterman wear a suit for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress despite "refusing to wear a suit to literally everything else?" No, that's not true: Fetterman wears a suit whenever he goes to the House or Senate floor and "wears a suit once a week to preside in the Senate," his spokesperson told Lead Stories. Senate rules require members to wear suits while on the floor, as of September 2023, and there is video of Fetterman doing so as recently as June 2024.
The claim appeared in in a post with a video (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, on July 24, 2024. It said:
The fact that Fetterman wears a suit for Netanyahu but makes a huge point of refusing to wear a suit to literally everything else is sufficiently weird as to be darkly sinister.
This is how the post appeared on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Thu Jul 25 15:05:35 2024 UTC)
Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, is seen as the video clip opens wearing a suit as he walks with other senators to Netanyahu's address to a joint meeting of Congress on July 24, 2023. This is not the first or only time he has worn a suit while on the Senate floor.
Fetterman's spokesperson Carrie Adams (archived here) told Lead Stories via telephone on July 25, 2024, that Fetterman frequently wears a suit:
He wears a suit once a week to preside in the Senate and when required he wears a suit. You have to wear a suit to be on the House or Senate floor so when he goes to the floor he wears a suit.
Fetterman wore a suit on June 13, 2024, while he was presiding over the Senate as this video posted on the Independent US YouTube account shows:
The Philadelphia Inquirer (archived here) reported on September 27, 2023, about the Senate dress code change following Fetterman's penchant for wearing casual clothes on the Senate floor:
The Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill that requires members to follow a dress code that will include a coat, tie, and slacks for men, ending controversy triggered over Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman's displaying his casual style on the floor.
The Resolution (archived here) "clarifying the dress code for the floor of the Senate," explains the dress code:
DEFINITIONS.--In this section-- (1) the term 'Senate floor dress code' means a requirement that business attire be worn on the floor of the Senate, which for men shall include a coat, tie, and slacks or other long pants ...
Other Lead Stories fact checks on claims related to John Fetterman can be found here.
