Fetterman blasts Oz for ‘cheap shots’ about his health, calls him a ‘clown’
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, ripped Republican opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz for taking "cheap shots" at his health on campaign trail in an interview with MSNBC’s Alex Wagner on Thursday.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, ripped Republican opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz for taking "cheap shots" about his health on campaign trail, in an interview with MSNBC’s Alex Wagner on Thursday.
The Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor also smeared Oz as a "clown" and criticized him for his "scary" pro-life views, claiming it indicates he may be in favor of the federal abortion limit Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. recently proposed.
Wagner hosted Fetterman on her new MSNBC evening talk show Thursday night and prompted the attacks on Dr. Oz by mentioning Fetterman’s health. Fetterman suffered a stroke in May and has claimed to still be in recovery. Critics, including Oz, have warned that Fetterman’s health problems should raise concerns among voters whether the candidate is fit for office.
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD QUESTIONS FETTERMAN'S HEALTH, ABILITY TO SERVE AFTER STROKE
MSNBC host Alex Wagner speaks to U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman about the alleged "cheap shots" his opponent Dr. Oz has made about his health.
The host asked what Fetterman’s recovery has been like. "I mean, take us back to that moment in early May. How was your summer? What was happening? How were you thinking about life and your candidacy?" she asked.
He began by describing the actual stroke as it happened and how his wife helped him. "My wife saved my life. I was on the way to an event, and she said, ‘Oh my gosh, you are having a stroke.’ And I’m like, ‘No, I’m fine. We’ve got to get to the event.’ And actually, no, she said you’ve got to get [help], and that’s exactly what happened," the candidate recalled.
He mentioned that the thought of him facing death and leaving his family behind was "bracing," and then ridiculed Dr. Oz and the "cheap shots" the Republican has hit him with over his health. "And thinking about that, reflecting on that, that the fact that a father of three young children and a wife, and thinking of all those things. I promise you that is 10 times bigger and 10 times harder than the cheap shots that Dr. Oz has chosen to choose in his campaign."
Fetterman added, "It’s his story. He’s got to tell it the way he needs to, but he needs to own those kind of words because a doctor choosing to mock someone who is recovering from a stroke, I don’t believe demonstrates that he is lost his way in. In fact, he has never had his way."
In recent weeks, the Oz campaign has been accused Fetterman of hiding behind his recovery to avoid the Republican candidate, as the Lieutenant Governor refused to commit to a debate for weeks. Though Fetterman recently agreed to a debate with Oz in late October.
Democratic Pennsylvania Senate nominee John Fetterman called his Republican opponent Dr. Oz a "clown" in a Thursday appearance with MSNBC. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
Later in the interview, Wagner brought up Sen. Graham’s 15-week federal abortion limit proposal to get Fetterman’s view on how that could impact Democratic chances in the midterms.
The candidate immediately tied Dr. Oz to Graham’s proposal, saying, "Dr. Oz might be a joke, but it’s not funny because abortion is on the ballot. And it’s a simple question: Dr. Oz, do you support the GOP bill to ban abortion. Yes or no?"
Wagner asked whether Fetterman considers Graham’s bill a "gift" to Democrats to charge their voter turnout, though he said he doesn’t.
"I don’t consider it a gift, I mean, it’s actually a very dangerous kind of law," he replied. "And what’s even more scary is that Dr. Oz would vote to eliminate abortion rights here in America," he added.
Fetterman then declared, "The truth is that he may be a clown, but a clown with a vote is very scary, and we may have to make sure that we send him back to New Jersey where he lives."
Mehmet Oz, Republican Senate candidate for Pennsylvania, speaks during a campaign event in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, US, on Thursday, June 9, 2022. Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman campaigns for U.S. Senate at a meet and greet at Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport on May 10, 2022 in Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)