WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ron DeSantis joined a pack of Republicans blasting the U.S. Senate’s decision to change its dress code on Monday. But his focus was on Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who regularly shows up to the Capitol in hoodies and basketball shorts.
“DISRESPECTFUL”
During a press conference in Jacksonville on Monday, DeSantis – who served in the House for six years – said the Pennsylvania senator has “a lot of problems” – including his wardrobe.
“So he would campaign in that, which is your prerogative, right? I mean, if that’s what you want to do. But to show up in the United States Senate with that and not have the decency to put on proper attire. I think it’s disrespectful to the body,” DeSantis said.
“I think the fact that the Senate changed the rules to accommodate that speaks very poorly to how they consider that,” DeSantis added. “Look, we need to be lifting up our standards in this country, not dumbing down our standards in this country. This is an example of why.”
“I DRESS LIKE HE CAMPAIGNS”
On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced he would loosen the chamber’s dress code to allow senators to wear whatever they choose on the Senate floor. Lawmakers will now be able to enter the Senate chambers to vote in shorts or even gym clothes.
Fetterman later responded to DeSantis in a post on X: “I dress like he campaigns,” he wrote.
The response echoes a similar comeback Fetterman pointed toward analyst Nate Silver. Jokingly, Silver said he was creating “a new political party for people who don’t give a shit either about how John Fetterman dresses or what Lauren Boebert does in a theater.”
“I dress like you predict,” Fetterman wrote in response to Silver.
PROPER DECORUM
Other Republicans reacted to the new rules on Monday with a similar sentiment as Ron DeSantis. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he’s “not a big fan” of the new rules, Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) thinks it’s “terrible,” and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) plainly said: “It stinks.”
Humorously, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) told reporters she planned to “wear a bikini” on Tuesday.
“I think there is a certain dignity that we should be maintaining in the Senate, and to do away with the dress code, to me, debases the institution,” Collins stated.
