--- title: "Dr. Oz’s Campaign Criticized for Making Fun of Opponent’s Stroke" description: "The Pennsylvania vegetable wars between Dr. Oz and John Fetterman have reached a crescendo — but was what the Oz campaign said about Fetterman's stoke true?" date: "2022-08-25" modified: "2022-08-25" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/dr-oz-making-fun-of-opponents-stroke" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "american politics" - "heart health" - "vegetables" --- # Dr. Oz’s Campaign Criticized for Making Fun of Opponent’s Stroke ![The Pennsylvania vegetable wars between Dr. Oz and John Fetterman have reached a crescendo — but was what the Oz campaign said about Fetterman's stoke true?]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* Television doctor and Pennsylvania senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz's campaign has come under fire for making some pretty harsh remarks about rival senate candidate John Fetterman's recent — and life-threatening — stroke. If you're unaware of the Pennsylvania veggie wars, let us recap: back in April, Oz released a [widely-mocked video]() where, in an effort to criticize rising inflation rates, the candidate (who owns ten homes) lamented the apparently astronomical cost of building a "[crudité]()" platter. Importantly, he also told the camera that he was at "Wegner's" grocery, which worked against him — Pennsylvania is home to many a grocery chain, including Wegman's, Redner's, and even Wenger's, but there are no "Wegner's" markets to be found. Fetterman hit back, though not until August 15, when he took to Twitter to mock the grocery gaffe as out-of-touch and elitist. "In PA we call this... a veggie tray," [read the August 15 tweet](). Drama! And the war is far from over. On Tuesday, [*Insider* published an interview]() with Rachel Tripp, Oz's senior communications advisor, who decided to throw another verbal punch — and hit Fetterman where it hurts. "If John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life," said the advisor, "then maybe he wouldn't have had a major stroke and wouldn't be in the position of having to lie about it constantly." Obviously, that's a pretty horrible thing to say about someone who came close to dying. "I had a stroke," Fetterman [tweeted in response](). "I survived it. I'm truly so grateful to still be here today. I know politics can be nasty, but even then, I could \*never\* imagine ridiculing someone for their health challenges." Fetterman indeed suffered the stroke [back in May](), later [confirmed by his doctor]() to be a result of atrial fibrillation — an irregular, abnormal heartbeat pattern — and cardiomyopathy, a disease that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body. Basically, the politician's heart was beating quickly and irregularly, which caused a blood clot which, coupled with Fetterman's weakened heart, caused the stroke. Now, forgetting the politics of it all, let's examine the "eat your vegetables" advice that Oz's campaign is pushing here. Starting with the obvious: vegetables are good for you. That checks out. Building from there, most of us are probably aware that certain foods, especially those high in cholesterol, aren't great for heart health. These two truths (vegetables good, cholesterol bad) aside, there's not much widely-regarded, medically-accepted nutritional advice concerning How to Eat to Avoid a Stroke, beyond some of the classic lifestyle suggestions — exercise regularly, don't eat too much processed or fast food, maybe drink less alcohol, and so on. And while individuals can develop heart conditions as the result of lifestyle choices, such diseases — including [atrial fibrillation]() and [cardiomyopathy]() — are often genetically inherited, and factors [like stress](), [contracting viruses or infections]() including COVID-19, and [*literally just being tall*](), like Fetterman, can also cause either of these conditions. And none of those necessarily have anything to do with what you're eating. That being said, it's also true that Fetterman, who knew of his heart problems, hasn't exactly taken care of himself in recent years — at least not according to his doctor. "\[Five years ago, I had\] prescribed medications along with improved diet and exercise and asked him to follow up again in the following months," his cardiologist, Dr. Ramesh Chandra, recently [wrote in a letter]() released by the Fetterman campaign. "Instead, I did not see him again until yesterday, John did not go to any doctor for five years and did not continue taking his medications." Not great. Still, Fetterman's avoidant approach to his heart health doesn't mean that what Dr. Oz's team said was accurate (let alone, uh, morally sound), and it's impossible not to flag the OG wellness influencer's history of giving [horribly misleading, often inaccurate]() medical advice to millions of viewers nationwide. In fact, 109 Pennsylvania doctors just signed an open letter condemning Oz's "shameful disregard for medical science," as released by the Fetterman campaign on Tuesday. "As a former daytime TV host, Dr. Oz exploited the hopes and fears of his viewers by promoting unproven, ill-advised, and at times potentially dangerous treatments," [reads the letter](). "He has made clear that he will put enriching himself above all else, even in instances where people's health is endangered." So, yeah. Eat your vegetables, and maybe try not to be tall, okay, everyone? Oh, and also: maybe don't listen to Dr. Oz's medical advice. BRB, gonna go make a veggie tray. **READ MORE:** [*Fetterman criticizes Oz campaign’s eat-your-vegetables health advice*]() \[*The Washington Post*\] **More on heart health:** *[Scientists Suggest Editing Human Genetic Code to Prevent Heart Attacks]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()