Fetterman’s Health Issues Center Stage in Pennsylvania Senate Debate With Oz

While healthcare was a common topic during Tuesday night’s debate in Pennsylvania between Senate hopefuls John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz, MD, the spotlight was on Fetterman’s own health issues during the hour-long exchange.

Despite an auditory processing disorder following a stroke last spring — which prompted the use of closed captioning throughout the debate — Fetterman showed up to debate an opponent with a significant advantage as a long-time TV personality who knows how to work the cameras.

Neurologists have said Fetterman’s condition doesn’t affect his understanding; only his ability to use language to respond. During the debate, he was often left searching for words and would answer haltingly.

Oz tried to make viewers question whether Fetterman, who currently serves as the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, truly understood what he was being asked. After one of Fetterman’s responses on higher education, Oz said, “Obviously, I wasn’t clear enough for you to understand this.”

Last week, Fetterman’s campaign released a statement from his primary care doctor saying he was fit to serve, but when asked by debate moderators whether he would release his full medical records, he balked. When pressed, he continued to answer, “My doctor believes I’m fit to serve, and that’s where I stand.”

Moderators asked Oz about his questionable financial relationships during his career and whether he improperly profited from the products mentioned on his shows. He deflected the question by saying he helped numerous people with their health problems and has heard such stories from Pennsylvanians on the campaign trail.

In addition, he said he never made money off of any “commercials” that aired during his show, careful to evade any mention of all the products that were featured on his shows. Finally, he pivoted to Fetterman supporting “socialized medicine” in the U.S., a claim Fetterman denied.

From the beginning, Fetterman came out swinging against Oz’s wealth and his coming from out-of-state, noting he has “10 houses” in places including New Jersey, Florida, and Virginia.

Several times Fetterman brought up a catchy slogan that he described as, “The Oz rule: If he’s on TV, he’s lying.”

Abortion was another key healthcare topic mentioned during the debate. Oz said the federal government shouldn’t intervene in medicine and there should be no involvement in how states make decisions about abortion.

Fetterman said Oz “celebrated” when Roe v. Wade was overturned and reiterated his stance that the choice should be between a woman and her doctor.

The candidates fielded questions on several other topics including the economy and inflation, social security, education, immigration, and fracking. When asked whether he would support Donald Trump in a 2024 run for the presidency, Oz initially said he would support whomever the Republican Party put forward, but when pressed said specifically, “I will support Donald Trump if he decides to run for president.”

In his closing statement, Fetterman focused on how his ordeal has made him a champion for those who’ve been through hard times. “I’m fighting for anyone in Pennsylvania who’s been knocked down and has to get back up,” he said.

Oz referenced his physician status twice in his closing statement. “I’m a surgeon, I’m not a politician,” he said in one instance. “We take big problems, we focus on them, and we fix them.”

He ended with an appeal that drew on what made Donald Trump attractive to some voters: “Are you unhappy with where America is headed?” he asked. “If you are … I am your candidate for change.”

The debate aired on cable news station News Nation, which interviewed neurologist Huma Sheikh, MD, of Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City, after the debate.

Sheikh said Fetterman appeared to have the ability to express thoughts but had difficulty with fluency. He did well with segments that he’d prepared in advance, she said, but he stumbled on spontaneous responses.

Sheikh said it was “hard to tell how much his comprehension was impaired,” but that it was “difficult” for him to “express himself and elaborate on his thoughts.”

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.