Fetterman Says He Would Support Dr. Oz To Run Medicare, Medicaid

PENNSYLVANIA — Pennsylvania's U.S. Sen. John Fetterman said Tuesday he would consider voting to approve his former political opponent Mehmet Oz to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

Oz, who was defeated by Fetterman in a closely contested race for U.S. Senate during the 2022 midterms, was nominated for the position this week by President-elect Trump. While Oz has ridden Trumps's coattails to popularity on the right, he has faced sharp criticism from Democrats and health experts for promoting treatments that have specious medical basis.

"If Dr. Oz is about protecting and preserving Medicare and Medicaid, I’m voting for the dude," Fetterman wrote on X.

Fetterman elaborated further to a CNN reporter earlier in the day Tuesday, though he did not touch on a specific reason for the support.

"Our politics are obviously different, and we do have a history, but I don’t have any bitterness," Fetterman reportedly said. "I don’t hold anything against him."

While it's not exactly a ringing endorsement, it's a curious statement from a man who has championed both universal free healthcare and rigorous adherence to science for most of his political career.

Oz, who made millions and became a household name in America with his "Dr. Oz" television show, used that platform to sell health and wellness products — products whose merit and medical reliability became a huge topic of debate in the 2022 campaign.

Fetterman has drawn headlines over the past year for taking numerous, sudden, and unexplained swings to the right on a host of issues, arguing for immigration restrictions, strict border policy, and unequivocal support for the Israeli offensive amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.