Dr. Mehmet Oz admitted Friday he wouldn’t talk to a patient the way he has spoken about Senate rival Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is recovering from a near-fatal stroke in May.
The TV doctor-turned-Republican candidate answered simply “no” when asked by NBC News if he would talk to a patient in the way he and his campaign have mocked Fetterman during his recovery.
Oz even claimed to feel for Fetterman as a person even as he lobs nasty political attacks at his opponent over his health.
“I have tremendous compassion for what John Fetterman is going through,” said Oz, adding that treating stroke victims is one of his specialties. “I, as a doctor, appreciate the challenge.”
But Oz refused to repudiate his campaign’s attacks on Fetterman, like a top spokeswoman’s effort to blame Fetterman’s stroke on what she called his poor diet or a mocking vow to not “hurt Fetterman’s feelings.”
“I deal with things as they come up,” said Oz, without elaborating.
The interview came as both camps jostled to put their spin on Fetterman’s well-publicized health struggles in the closing weeks of the race, which could determine control of the Senate for the next two years.
Fetterman slurred some words during an interview with Dasha Burns, the same NBC reporter, earlier this week. The appearance was conducted with the help of captioning, a practice that Oz himself poked fun in an interview with Fox Business News.
“I don’t think they have closed captioning on the floor of the Senate,” Oz said.
Even as the interview raised questions for some about Fetterman’s health, the 6-foot-8 Democrat says his stroke has helped him to understand the concerns of everyday people dealing with health or money problems.
He aired a new ad featuring his family along with shots of other Pennsylvania families, suggesting he feels their pain better than Oz, whom he has branded an out-of-touch elitist.
“I’ll always be focused on what matters,” Fetterman says in the ad.
Fetterman has held a strong lead throughout most of the campaign. But polls show the race tightening substantially in the home stretch.
The two men face off in their only debate on Oct. 25.
