What’s in a crudité platter? Don’t ask an ‘exhausted’ Dr. Oz on the campaign trail
Asparagus, broccoli and pre-made guacamole and salsa. Those are the staples for a crudité or veggie platter if you’re Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Earlier this week, John Fetterman, the Democrat who’s running against Oz for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania, poked fun at one of the TV personality’s campaign videos.
In the clip, which was first posted in April but recently went viral, Oz walked around a grocery store and said he was picking up ingredients for his wife. He used the trip to complain about inflation and rising prices — and to blame President Biden.
Mehmet Oz made the claim in a campaign video in which he thanked supporters and looked ahead to the general election.
“Guys, that’s $20 for crudité and this doesn’t include the tequila,” Oz said in the video after ticking off a list of prices for various items. “It’s outrageous, and we have Joe Biden to thank for this.”
On Tuesday, Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s Democratic lieutenant governor, resurfaced the video as an opportunity to call out his Republican opponent, a longtime New Jersey resident.
“In PA we call this a... veggie tray,” Fetterman wrote on Twitter, while holding up a platter of veggies and dip sans salsa, guac and asparagus.
“Dr. Oz” has been removed from air in two major markets, thanks to FCC rules that have affected Arnold Schwarzenegger’s films and “The Love Boat.”
Fetterman’s Twitter followers lampooned Oz’s video — from his veggie selection to his mistaking the name of the grocery store. Other social media users dismissed Oz’s campaign clip as “fake and disingenuous.”
The “Dr. Oz” star responded to the criticism Wednesday, speaking with Newsmax’s National Report about the crudité crisis.
“I was exhausted,” he said. “When you’re campaigning 18 hours a day — I’ve gotten my kids’ names wrong as well — I don’t think it’s a measure of someone’s ability to lead the commonwealth.”
No photoshop or autotune mars Democrat John Fetterman’s doghair-festooned jacket, raggedy goatee or guttural voice.
Meanwhile, Fetterman thrived on Oz’s slip-up: He created and sold more than 5,000 “Let Them Eat Crudité” stickers to raise funds for his campaign.
It’s not the first time Fetterman has taken shots at his opponent through meme material. In July, he enlisted “Jersey Shore” star Snooki to try to bring Oz back to the Garden State.
“Jersey will not forget you, just want to let you know. I will not forget you,” she said in the video. “Don’t worry, because you’ll be back home in Jersey soon.”
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