In his first national TV interview since his stroke, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) said he felt "fantastic" but would not commit to debating his Senate race opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, before the November election.
Fetterman, occasionally skipping over words while speaking, was interviewed alongside his wife Gisele by MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle on Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Senate candidate, who announced on Tuesday that he would not participate in a September debate against Oz, told Ruhle that he expects to make a full recovery from his May stroke within the next several months.
FETTERMAN CAMPAIGN SAYS STROKE RECOVERY WILL DETERMINE ANY DEBATES
"My health now is robust, and I'm able to live a normal life, driving, going to the grocery store, not looking for crudite," Fetterman said, referencing a widely mocked Oz campaign video where the celebrity doctor shopped for ingredients for a crudite platter.
"The only lingering issue is every now and then I will have auditory processing, and I might miss a word every now and then, or I might mush two words together," Fetterman added about his health.
The lieutenant governor accused Oz of making fun of his stroke and recovery by appealing to "folks who get their jollies, you know, making fun of the stroke dude."
Fetterman cited what he called Oz's "sad approach" of choosing to "ridicule" him for his stroke as the reason for backing out of a planned September debate with the former heart surgeon and TV talk show host.
Fetterman wouldn't answer whether he would debate Oz at all before the November election, saying only, "When they want to get into a serious conversation and really talk about having a debate, I'd be happy to engage in that," calling the current discourse "deeply unserious."
Fetterman leads Oz by more than 7 percentage points in a RealClearPolitics average of polls. A recent poll conducted by Franklin & Marshall College shows Fetterman with a 13-point lead over Oz, who has been ramping up the pressure on Fetterman to debate him, accusing Fetterman of "hiding" and questioning his ability to serve.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Fetterman's campaign said earlier on Wednesday that his stroke recovery will determine the conditions under which he would agree to any debates with Oz.
"We are working to figure out what a fair debate would look like with the lingering impacts of the auditory processing in mind," Fetterman campaign strategist Rebecca Katz told the Washington Post. "To be absolutely clear, the occasional issues he is having with auditory processing have no bearing on his ability to do the job as senator. John is healthy and fully capable of showing up and doing the work."
Washington Examiner Videos
Tags: Midterms 2022, John Fetterman, Dr. Oz, Pennsylvania, Campaigns
Original Author: Victor I. Nava
Original Location: Fetterman says he is 'feeling amazing' but dodges debate questions in interview