Dr Mehmet Oz, who is running for one of Pennsylvania’s two senate seats, is being mocked online for his second attempt at challenging Dr Anthony Fauci to debate him, despite the fact that the leading expert in infectious diseases is not opposing him.
The TV doctor first challenged the director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) on 13 January.
He reiterated the idea of the debate on 26 February, some 44 days later as he noted.
“I challenged Dr Fauci to a debate 44 days ago, and still haven’t heard a thing from him…🦗.”
The first challenge to Dr Fauci was derided by Republican candidate Kathy Barnette, who is competing for the same seat as Dr Oz.
She tweeted: “Oz, too scared to debate me last night goes on Fox and asks to debate Fauci.”
“No more media-thirsty politicians,” Ms Barnette added.
Traditionally candidates running for the same seat debate each other rather than someone not involved in the race, but this didn’t appear to deter Dr Oz.
While Dr Fauci did not respond to Dr Oz’s invitation — even after a Valentine’s Day post jab at him — other people did.
Paediatric infectious disease specialist Dr Alastair McAlpine tweeted: “What on earth makes you think you have the credentials to debate Dr Fauci? And why would he waste his time debating you? That’s not how science works.”
He added: “But look, Mehmet… if you *really* wanna debate… I’ll do it. I’ll debate you. How about it?”
Dr McAlpine later tweeted: “I challenged Dr Oz to a debate 2 days ago, and still haven’t heard a thing from him… 🦗.”
He added: “To be clear, Dr Oz has as much duty to respond to me as Dr Fauci has to respond to him. But this cheap politicking of his deserves scorn.”
Dr Fauci — who is not running for office anywhere — might be busy working on the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic that has killed more than 947,000 Americans.
He is also perhaps uninterested in participating in a cheap piece of political theatrics.
Others joined in on Twitter pouring scorn on Dr Oz, challenging the TV doctor to debate them.
They then began to mock him with their own fictitious unanswered challenges.
Podcaster Brian Tylor Cohen wrote: “I challenged Serena Williams to a tennis match 44 days ago, and still haven’t heard a thing from her.”
Hart Hanson, the creator of TV Show Bones, tweeted: “I challenged Jimmy Page to a guitar duel and still haven’t heard a thing from him.”
Historian Kevin Kruse joined in, saying it had been nine months since he’d challenged Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a passing competition.
“He still hasn’t come to my house. Coward!”
It is unclear if Dr Oz will be debating any of his actual opponents in the race to represent Pennsylvania in the Senate.
