Confronted with the facts about his liberal record, Mehmet Oz had a meltdown at today’s first debate. Here are 6 things Oz said today that are false or that completely contradict what he’s said and done in the past.
1. Oz said today: It’s “not true” and a “lie” he spent years criticizing Pennsylvania natural gas and supporting a fracking ban.
- The truth: Oz is lying. Multiple newspaper columns were published under his name attacking fracking, including in Pennsylvania. In 2014, Oz’s column stated, “in Pennsylvania, there are multiple reports of air and water contamination, possibly from hydraulic fracturing sites... That’s why we suggest that everyone would be best served by the policy adopted in New York state: No fracking[.]"
- 2014 is also the same year that Oz testified to the U.S. Senate under oath and stated, “I have a newspaper column which runs in more than 110 newspapers across the country.”
- In 2015 – the same year it was reported that Oz made millions of dollars from a treatment he promoted in his newspaper column – Oz’s column again touted New York’s ban on fracking as a solution to energy production “harmful to human health.”
- In 2018, Oz’s column encouraged “a ban on living near" oil and gas fracking sites, because of claims they caused birth defects in Pennsylvania.
2. Oz said today: “We're giving that [energy independence] up for no good reason, except the ideology that carbon is bad, which itself is a lie: carbon dioxide, my friends, .04% of our air. That's not the problem.”
- The truth: One year ago, Oz’s newspaper column blamed “elevated temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations from climate change” for increased levels of allergy-inducing pollen.
3. Oz said today: “The reality is that when you take a top-down government authoritarian approach, one size fits all, which is what was done during COVID … The question we have to ask is: why is Washington getting it wrong?”
- The truth: Oz has spent years advocating for government-run, universal health care and the individual mandate. He hosted an Obama White House event for health care reform, said it was “criminal” to oppose Obamacare, and said he agreed with Hillary Clinton’s health care agenda. Oz praised China’s COVID response and urged America to “copy” “draconian” lockdowns.
4. Oz said today: “I would not raise taxes.”
- The truth: Oz pushed for a massive tax increase on businesses and workers less than two years ago. He advocated for a 20% payroll tax to “take advantage” of the pandemic and fund universal health care.
5. Oz said today: “Just like with COVID as a doctor I could say, what they’re telling us with these mandates is dishonest. It’s narrative that will not work, and we’re paying a price, a price that often our kids bore, using them as a shield.”
- The truth: Oz praised Anthony Fauci as a “pro” and said, “I respect him a lot.” Oz's company Sharecare promoted Fauci and was part of the push to keep the U.S. locked down for an extended period of time. Oz praised California’s governor for locking down the state, and dismissed concerns about mask mandates, saying, “I don’t understand what the argument is.”
6. Oz said today: “I spent my whole life … on network television, going after Big Pharma … Big Tech.”
- The truth: In 2017, Oz listed Google among his corporate clients, along with several pharmaceutical companies. These companies paid him millions of dollars. Oz was also active on social media networks run by Chinese Big Tech companies.
