Former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania’s Republican primary for Senate should be offensive to voters.
In a statement April 9, Trump said his decision was “all about winning elections” as he formally backed the celebrity heart surgeon, best known as the host of daytime TV’s “The Dr. Oz Show.”
“The Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a tremendous opportunity to Save America by electing the brilliant and well-known Dr. Mehmet Oz for the United States Senate,” said Trump. Later, at a rally in North Carolina, he said: “You know when you’re in television for 18 years, that’s like a poll. That means people like you.”
Trump noted that Oz was a well-known quantity who has “lived with us through the screen and has always been popular, respected, and smart.”
“Perhaps most importantly, I believe that Mehmet Oz will be the one most able to win the General Election against a Radical Left Democrat looking to do unthinkable harm to our Country,” he added. “Women, in particular, are drawn to Dr. Oz for his advice and counsel. I have seen this many times over the years. They know him, believe in him, and trust him,” he said.
Pennsylvania voters should be offended by Trump’s endorsement of Oz. Trump does not focus on Oz’s attributes or platform or why he would be good for Pennsylvania.
Instead the former president emphasized that his support for Oz is based on the doctor’s so-called popularity with voters, particularly women voters, because he was on TV, as if one thing should have anything to do with the other. Are Pennsylvania voters to believe that being a “well known” TV star should be a qualification for being in the U.S. Senate?
By comparison, Pennsylvania’s leading Democratic candidates for the Senate — Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb and State Sen. Malcolm Kenyatta — all have elective experience and detailed positions on issues.
The Democratic candidates also have long roots in Pennsylvania, unlike Oz who has taken heat in the race even from Republican rivals for carpetbaggery. Oz lived in New Jersey for two decades until just before deciding to run in Pennsylvania. He said he moved to his in-laws home in Montgomery County in late 2020, only weeks after it became clear the Senate seat would be open.
Oz had been competing for Trump’s endorsement in the May 17 primary against former hedge fund CEO David McCormick. The two had gone embarrassing lengths to win over the former president, who remains deeply popular with the Republican base. Polls show Oz and McCormick evenly matched.
Trump had previously endorsed Sean Parnell in the race, but Parnell withdrew his candidacy amid allegations of abuse from his estranged wife. The turnabout should raise questions about Trump’s vetting process.
Trump’s endorsement of Oz should not be a total surprise. Trump and Oz are similar in many ways. Both used TV stardom to enter politics. Both Trump and Oz have a record of questionable business dealings.
Both have a history of fluid positions on issues which they have changed over the years.
For example, Oz publicly promoted for over a decade health insurance mandates, a key element of the Affordable Care Act also known as “Obamacare,” before opposing it in his run for Senate.
Both Trump and Oz are conning voters.
Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune