Sources close to Senator John Fetterman, D.
-Penn., have claimed that his trademark "hoodies and gym shorts" look is a sign of his robust recovery, according to a recent AP story.
Fetterman has been in the national spotlight since it was revealed that he required special closed-caption technology to help him understand speeches on the Senate floor. He used the same system during his campaign debate last year with Republican opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz, as well as during multiple interviews since suffering a stroke last May, which has hampered his ability to speak clearly and process questions.
More recently, Fetterman returned from a six-week stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he was treated for clinical depression and fitted for hearing aids for hearing loss that had made it harder for him to communicate.
However, according to AP, Fetterman is back and stronger than ever because of his relaxed, comfortable style. The senator has even found a workaround to the legislative body's dress code rules. He votes from the doorway of the Democratic cloakroom or the side entrance, making sure his "yay" or "nay" is recorded before ducking back out.
"He's setting a new dress code," Vermont Sen. Peter Welch joked to AP. "He was struggling. And now he's a joyful person to be around."
Fetterman faced some backlash against his casual dress code, even from his own staff, who had originally asked him to always wear suits, which he famously hates. However, upon his return from Walter Reed Hospital, Fetterman is getting more attention for his speech difficulties, which are still halting and sometimes hard to understand due to his stroke.
Fox News Digital found that Fetterman's staff have doctored several of his quotes on the floor to make him sound more coherent than he actually is. The corrected quote, which a Washington Post reporter said was provided to him by Fetterman's office, was considerably shorter. "Shouldn't you have a working requirement after we bail out your bank? Republicans seem to be more preoccupied with SNAP requirements for hungry people than protecting taxpayers that have to bail out these banks."
The Pennsylvania senator's public appearances appear to be carefully controlled as he rarely speaks with reporters in the hallways and often appears to be reading closely off a sheet of paper.
Sen. Fetterman's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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