Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz is trying to explain parts of a video that was roundly mocked online.
During an appearance on Newsmax, the celebrity surgeon, commonly known as Dr. Oz, faced questions about the recently resurfaced video in which he used the word “crudité” and messed up the name of the grocery store he was shopping in.
“When I joke about a crudité which is a way of speaking about how ridiculous it is that you can’t even put vegetables on a plate in the middle of a campaign, we’ll do whatever we need to do to make sure the people of Pennsylvania respect what we’re about, and we’re going to work as hard as we can to fix their problems,” Oz said.
Watch the video below:
Dr. Oz asked why he made up a grocery store chain called "Wegners":
— The Recount (@therecount) August 17, 2022
“I was exhausted … I’ve gotten my kids’ names wrong as well. I don't think that's a measure of someone's ability to lead the commonwealth.” pic.twitter.com/KE82E5Qfw3
But that was not the only part of the video that required some clarification.
The host asked, “For those watching in Pennsylvania, you know how particular many people are about their groceries. What happened with Wegman’s and Wegner’s? Can you explain that to them?”
“I was exhausted. When you’re campaigning 18 hours a day…listen, I’ve gotten my kids’ names wrong as well. I don’t think that’s a measure of someone’s ability to lead the commonwealth,” Oz said.
Oz is not running to “lead” Pennsylvania as its governor.
The exchange comes after Oz’s Democratic opponent brought the video in which he appeared in a grocery store to shop for vegetables for “crudité” back to light.
He also seemed to combine the names of Wegmans and Redner’s and said he was shopping at “Wegner’s” in the clip.
“I’m at Wegner’s, and my wife wants vegetables for crudité,” Oz says in the video.
In case you missed it:
We repeatedly told @DrOz that we had pre-made veggie trays..excuse me “Crudité”…in the deli starting at $5.99. $7.99 with guacamole and salsa. Vote @JohnFetterman! pic.twitter.com/FO83LmYPIl
— Wegner’s Groceries (@grocerieswegner) August 15, 2022
Of course, it’s not new that candidates misspeak on the campaign trail. But this video and using the word “crudité” while mixing up the name of the store he was in only feeds into the narrative that Oz is an out-of-touch candidate, who owns 10 homes, and doesn’t understand the issues facing Pennsylvania residents.
It’s worth pointing out that Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic Senate candidate, does not exactly come from a working-class background either. It was reported earlier this year that Fetterman received a five-figure annual allowance from his parents into his 40s.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with coming from a wealthy background and running for office.
But it doesn’t help if you’re using words like “crudité,” messing up the name of the store you’re in, and claiming you’re running to “lead” the state as a senator, while your opponent wears hoodies and shorts to help craft his image of a working-class fighter.
