Ben Terris

And so at first, before getting into kind of the difficult parts of my reporting, I wanted to just give him the opportunity to talk about things, to talk about his place in the Democratic Party, about what it was like for him to go visit Mar-a-Lago to meet with Donald Trump. to talk about what Democrats were getting right and getting wrong. And he was kind of the old Fetterman in a way, right?

I mean, he still struggles with his auditory processing. He still kind of struggles with getting sentences out exactly how he wants them to, but it's a lot better than it used to be. And he was, you know, very lucid and very excited to talk through all this stuff. And it went well. You know, as we're talking... I'm the kind of reporter who doesn't want to hide the ball for too long, right?

I mean, he still struggles with his auditory processing. He still kind of struggles with getting sentences out exactly how he wants them to, but it's a lot better than it used to be. And he was, you know, very lucid and very excited to talk through all this stuff. And it went well. You know, as we're talking... I'm the kind of reporter who doesn't want to hide the ball for too long, right?

I mean, he still struggles with his auditory processing. He still kind of struggles with getting sentences out exactly how he wants them to, but it's a lot better than it used to be. And he was, you know, very lucid and very excited to talk through all this stuff. And it went well. You know, as we're talking... I'm the kind of reporter who doesn't want to hide the ball for too long, right?

Like, I wanted to make sure he had the opportunity to talk about things before it got contentious, and I knew it might get contentious. And so I kind of ease into talking about health stuff. The day before sitting down with him, he had written a piece for the New York Times about taking the weight loss drug Manjaro. And he writes in that piece that he was feeling better than he'd ever felt before.

Like, I wanted to make sure he had the opportunity to talk about things before it got contentious, and I knew it might get contentious. And so I kind of ease into talking about health stuff. The day before sitting down with him, he had written a piece for the New York Times about taking the weight loss drug Manjaro. And he writes in that piece that he was feeling better than he'd ever felt before.

Like, I wanted to make sure he had the opportunity to talk about things before it got contentious, and I knew it might get contentious. And so I kind of ease into talking about health stuff. The day before sitting down with him, he had written a piece for the New York Times about taking the weight loss drug Manjaro. And he writes in that piece that he was feeling better than he'd ever felt before.

You know, his mind was crisper and clearer than ever before. And he never felt better. And so I kind of use that as a gateway to talk about medication and about health issues. And I start by saying, listen, I understand that mental health struggles are a lifelong struggle. There's going to be ups and downs. Can you tell me about that?

You know, his mind was crisper and clearer than ever before. And he never felt better. And so I kind of use that as a gateway to talk about medication and about health issues. And I start by saying, listen, I understand that mental health struggles are a lifelong struggle. There's going to be ups and downs. Can you tell me about that?

You know, his mind was crisper and clearer than ever before. And he never felt better. And so I kind of use that as a gateway to talk about medication and about health issues. And I start by saying, listen, I understand that mental health struggles are a lifelong struggle. There's going to be ups and downs. Can you tell me about that?

And very quickly, he pushes back against even that idea that it's a lifelong struggle. He basically says, look, before the stroke, I wasn't depressed. I wasn't the guy who was joy, joy, joy, joy all the time. But, you know, it was kind of a freak thing that happened.

And very quickly, he pushes back against even that idea that it's a lifelong struggle. He basically says, look, before the stroke, I wasn't depressed. I wasn't the guy who was joy, joy, joy, joy all the time. But, you know, it was kind of a freak thing that happened.

And very quickly, he pushes back against even that idea that it's a lifelong struggle. He basically says, look, before the stroke, I wasn't depressed. I wasn't the guy who was joy, joy, joy, joy all the time. But, you know, it was kind of a freak thing that happened.

A combination of the stroke, of the election, of exhaustion, all these things led to this one moment that made him go to Walter Reed. And after Walter Reed, he said that he's basically better. And that was a little surprising to me. I mean, you know, I've talked to a lot of people in my life in various capacities who've dealt with mental health issues. And, you know, it is a struggle.

A combination of the stroke, of the election, of exhaustion, all these things led to this one moment that made him go to Walter Reed. And after Walter Reed, he said that he's basically better. And that was a little surprising to me. I mean, you know, I've talked to a lot of people in my life in various capacities who've dealt with mental health issues. And, you know, it is a struggle.

A combination of the stroke, of the election, of exhaustion, all these things led to this one moment that made him go to Walter Reed. And after Walter Reed, he said that he's basically better. And that was a little surprising to me. I mean, you know, I've talked to a lot of people in my life in various capacities who've dealt with mental health issues. And, you know, it is a struggle.

And you kind of expect a politician to talk about that instead of just saying, like, you know, it's a magical fix. So that was a little surprising. And I pushed him on it a little to say, well, listen... I've talked to a number of your staff members, mostly former, who are worried about you. They're worried that maybe you're not on your recovery plan like you should be.

And you kind of expect a politician to talk about that instead of just saying, like, you know, it's a magical fix. So that was a little surprising. And I pushed him on it a little to say, well, listen... I've talked to a number of your staff members, mostly former, who are worried about you. They're worried that maybe you're not on your recovery plan like you should be.

And you kind of expect a politician to talk about that instead of just saying, like, you know, it's a magical fix. So that was a little surprising. And I pushed him on it a little to say, well, listen... I've talked to a number of your staff members, mostly former, who are worried about you. They're worried that maybe you're not on your recovery plan like you should be.

They're also worried that maybe you're not taking your medication and that the medication is serious and that you're on a bad path. Can you speak to that? And at that moment, the tenor of the conversation shifts kind of dramatically. I don't think he was really expecting that. And he denies it. He says it's all disgruntled staff who have a grudge.