Roger Stone, former OANN host among right-wing pundits losing their minds over Trump backing Dr. Oz
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It’s not that the GOP frontrunner for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat didn’t try to sell his soul to the devil, it’s just that the devil wouldn’t take it.
Instead, Donald Trump endorsed a guy whose soul status, as it were, was never in question—celebrity TV healther Dr. Memet Oz. Oz currently trails hedge fund manager David McCormick by several points in the GOP primary, so getting Trump’s nod surely stands to give the bad doctor a little boost.
“This is all about winning elections in order to stop the radical left maniacs from destroying our country,” Trump said in his statement. Amid touting Oz’s many dubious credentials, Trump added, “He even said that I was in extraordinary health, which made me like him even more (although he also said I should lose a couple of pounds!).”
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Trump’s very carefully considered pick is generally good news for Democrats. Last month, an internal poll leaked by a super PAC supporting Democratic Senate candidate Connor Lamb showed Democratic frontrunner John Fetterman beating Oz by 9 points, but trailing McCormick by 3. That’s an internal poll by a pro-Lamb group trying to cast doubt on the electoral prospects of another Democrat, so grain of salt. But it’s still noteworthy in terms of which Republican is likely to fare better in the general election.
Certainly, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell didn’t seem super jazzed about the news. Asked about Trump’s pick on Fox News Sunday, McConnell offered only, “We’ll see. I think we’ve got a good choice of candidates in Pennsylvania. I think we’ve been in a good position to win that race regardless of who the nominee is. I guess we’ll find in the next few weeks how much this endorsement made a difference.”
But however well Oz may or may not play in the general election, Trump’s endorsement of him is blowing the minds of right-wingers—and not in a good way.
Former Trump associate Roger Stone posted a pic to Telegram of Oz on set with former First Lady Michelle Obama and queried, “Wait ? President endoresd this guy ?” [Sic for that whole quote.]
“I have enormous respect for President Trump,” wrote Trump’s first endorsee for the seat, alleged wife abuser Sean Parnell, who dropped out after losing custody of his children. “But I’m disappointed by this. Oz is the antithesis of everything that made Trump the best president of my lifetime.”
Former One America News Network (OANN) host Liz Wheeler tweeted, “Trump endorsing Dr. Oz confirms what Trump supporters fear for 2024. … His worst thing was surrounding himself with idiots, suck ups & deep state. We worry, has he learned his lesson or will 2024 be a repeat? Endorsing Oz? The same.”
Right-winger John Cardillo posited, “Even money odds Dr. Oz will eventually switch parties and f’k over PA voters. Do NOT trust this guy.” Cardillo further called the endorsement “inexcusable,” charging that Oz would be Mitt Romney 2.0. Trump “just put his political capital behind an anti-gun pro-abortion open borders Hollywood liberal,” he added.
Conservative radio host Erick Erickson lamented, “It’s like Donald Trump’s staff is sabotaging Trump by convincing him to make the worst possible endorsements.”
But the money quote came from Breitbart Editor Joel Pollak, who predicted: “This endorsement could divide MAGA in the only way that matters: he could lose America First conservatives over it.”
From his lips to god’s ears.
Anyway, impressive pick by Trump—snubbing his extremist base while passing over the guy who likely has the edge with suburbanites. Kudos.