What Are Dr. Oz's Political Views? The Talk Show Host Makes a Bid for U.S. Senate
Updated Dec. 1 2021, 12:46 p.m. ET
Over the last several years, Dr. Oz has faced innumerable controversies, from promoting questionable weight-loss drugs to making outlandish assertions about "cancer-fighting foods."
As Fox's favorite health expert, we can easily assume Dr. Oz's political views ... but stay tuned for all the dirty details.
Former President Donald Trump appointed Dr. Oz to his council on sports, fitness, and nutrition.
Although working for the government with a far-right U.S. president such as Trump doesn't necessarily mean you're affiliated with a specific political party, Dr. Oz was personally appointed by the reality star to be part of his council on sports, fitness, and nutrition back in 2018, according to CNN.
His role included encouraging and educating Americans about the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle. Trump also elected former bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno from The Incredible Hulk TV series and Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Beyond Dr. Oz's supposed medical expertise, however, it seems like there's a reason Trump turned to him to take on the two-year role.
Dr. Oz is frequently an "unpaid guest" on conservative news station Fox News.
You've probably noticed that Dr. Oz has made several appearances on America's top conservative news station, Fox News, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, he doesn't get paid for it. Apparently, this is because Dr. Oz has become well-acquainted with most of the cast and crew, and they all share similar views.
"We have a good rapport with all hosts and all media on a wide variety of networks and platforms. ... He is not paid by Fox or any of the other media we appear on. ... Previous to coronavirus, he had roughly bi-weekly appearances on the Today show and Fox & Friends, so this is nothing new," one of Dr. Oz's spokespersons told The Hollywood Reporter.
Dr. Oz has predominantly financially endorsed Republican candidates in the past.
Although Dr. Oz reportedly has "Democratic views regarding health care," according to The Hollow, it seems as though he's mostly endorsed Republican candidates in past elections. In total, he has reportedly donated almost $20,000 to political candidates, and a whopping $16,500 went to those running for the Republican party.
In 2008 when former POTUS Barack Obama was running for his first term, the TV personality reportedly cast his vote for the Republican nominee, John McCain. Apparently, Dr. Oz contributed $4,400 to McCain's campaign.
In November 2021, Dr. Oz announced his bid to run for U.S. Senate as a Republican in Pennsylvania.
Perhaps it comes as no surprise to those who have been following Dr. Oz's career that he has decided to follow in Trump's footsteps as a reality star trying his hand at politics. Per CNN, Dr. Oz announced his run for U.S. Senate through the conservative newspaper Washington Examiner.
Dr. Oz explained his intentions in an op-ed, writing, "During the pandemic, I learned that when you mix politics and medicine, you get politics instead of solutions. That's why I am running for the U.S. Senate: to help fix the problems and to help us heal." Dr. Oz is replacing previous Trump-endorsed GOP candidate Sean Parnell.
Other Republican candidates running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania include Jeff Bartos, David McCormick, and Carla Sands. Carla, like Dr. Oz, previously served on a Trump cabinet as the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark during the Trump administration.
Dr. Oz previously hinted he was interested in running for political office in 2007 when he said in an interview he would "consider" running for office one day as a moderate Republican. A 60-second campaign video on his website criticizes the federal response to COVID-19, in which he claims, "Washington got it wrong." Dr. Oz adds, "They took away our freedom without making us safer."
