John Fetterman talks marijuana, voters, style in CBS interview

In a national interview that aired Sunday morning, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman spoke about his push to legalize marijuana, getting working-class people back to the Democratic Party, his political past and future, and being named a style god.

Fetterman spoke to Mark Whitaker for “CBS Sunday Morning” from his Braddock home and took a drive through the borough and past local landmarks including Carrie Furnace and Kennywood Park.

Much is made of the 6-foot-8 former Braddock mayor’s physical appearance in the video. He describes the contrast of himself and Gov. Tom Wolf, when they are standing next to each other, as comical.

Whitaker says Fetterman “looms tall” in person and in politics, as clips of Fetterman speaking to people, presiding over the Senate and striking the gavel are shown.

Some interview highlights include Fetterman defending Pennsylvania against false claims of election fraud, his fight to raise the minimum wage, describing Twitter as starting the day with a “dog-turd-and-motor-oil smoothie,” and arguing that marijuana is not a drug, but a plant.

The video also recycles clips from a 2010 interview with CBS, including Fetterman talking about his tattoos that mark the dates of murders in the town under his watch.

Asked about working-class voters in Western Pennsylvania, who turned to Donald Trump in the past two presidential elections, Fetterman says the Democratic Party hasn’t forgotten about them, but that they are “not at the center of the party the way they should be.” He says that the party needs to pay attention to working people and reinvest in industries like steel.

Whitaker also talks with Gisele Fetterman, a native of Brazil who shares her story of growing up in America undocumented and worrying about being deported. The video also references an incident in October where Gisele Fetterman was verbally attacked at a grocery store.

John Fetterman then speaks emotionally about the immigration struggle in the country.

“We as a country have to be better than this kind of anti-immigration rhetoric,” Fetterman says. “My life has been immeasurably enriched by my wife and her family and her immigration story.”

The clip ends with Fetterman talking about a GQ magazine item naming him a “taste god” for his particular style of dress. He wears a Carhartt puffer jacket, a neon-lime gaiter and long athletic shorts in the interview.

Fetterman, 51, is exploring a run for the U.S. Senate in 2022 for the seat that Sen. Pat Toomey, who is not seeking re-election, currently holds.