Victoria Perrone was not a spokeswoman for Sen. John Fetterman’s 2022 Senate campaign. As his treasurer, she worked with numbers and spreadsheets. But when the campaign asked her to talk about her sister, who was partially on Medicaid while attending a Delaware County elementary school, she agreed.
“In June, my sister died of ovarian cancer, and Dr. Oz became the Republican nominee,” she said on stage at Nether Providence Elementary School, wearing a “Made in Delco” hoodie. “When I found out that Dr. Oz had lied to millions of TV viewers that one of his ‘miracle cures’ would reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 75%, I was very angry, and so was Delco Mad.”
So when Fetterman said this week that he would vote for Oz if the celebrity doctor agreed to protect Medicaid and Medicare, Perrone “Delco” went berserk again.
“Our politics are obviously different and we have history, but I have no bitterness at all,” Fetterman he told CNN reporter Manu Raju this week in Oz. “I have nothing against him. As long as he wants to protect and preserve Medicaid and Medicare, I’m voting for this guy.
But during the 2022 campaign, Fetterman frequently attacked the high-profile doctor known for spreading misinformation as a liar and fraud, and frequently said Oz would be a threat to funding for Medicare and Social Security. That’s why the senator’s remarks this week were met with backlash from several former campaign staffers, and some of his former Senate staffers also expressed outrage over Oz’s nomination.
Annie Wu Henry, who was part of Fetterman’s campaign digital team and was coined his The TikTok whisperersent screenshots of posts from the Fetterman X account, which argued that Oz would threaten Medicare and Social Security. Harrison Morgan, who also worked on Fetterman’s campaign, also republished Henry’s compilation other posts against Oz. Morgan also shared a post from 2022 from Fetterman’s account who called Oz a fraud.
“In 2022, I worked on a campaign against an out-of-touch liar and fraudster to ensure he was held accountable for serving ordinary Americans and Pennsylvanians – and we won,” Henry said. “Over the past two years, Dr. Mehmet Oz has done nothing to prove otherwise. In fact, his nomination to this position by a notoriously dangerous pathological liar only reinforces our belief that we cannot and should not trust him at any level in our government.”
Zofia Otta Fetterman’s 2022 campaign digital directorhe also pointed out the irony of Fetterman’s statement about Oz’s appointment. “Oh my god, hahahahahahahahahahahaha,” she said sent along with Fetterman’s statement.
Former employees of Fetterman’s communications department Emma Muston, Joe CalvelloAND Nick Gaviowho left office at the same time in the spring, all shared posts on X against Oz’s nomination.
During his term in 2022, Oz he said supported expanding Medicare Advantage plans that benefit private insurers and argued in: 2020 op. ed that every American who is not on Medicaid should be on one of the private plans.
A 2014 study found that less than half of the claims made on Oz were precise, It was announced at 7 p.m. In 2014, Oz also stated that Americans without insurance had no right to health care and should instead receive 15-minute screenings in a “festival atmosphere,” the report said.
“A Huge Personal Betrayal”
Fetterman’s statement on behalf of Perrone was a “huge personal betrayal.” She said her sister voted for Fetterman in her last ballot.
“Knowing all the things we researched about Mehmet Oz and the lies he told on his show, and then seeing and knowing where he stands on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, it didn’t make any sense to me that John “would say at all: that he would consider voting for him because I think it’s pretty obvious that he’s not qualified,” Perrone said in an interview.
She said she didn’t know why Fetterman, who is “blatantly and disgustingly authentic,” would believe Oz, who “has made a career out of lying to people.” If Fetterman was trying to extend an olive branch to work with Republicans, “it was a very unsuccessful attempt,” she said.
“I don’t know if he’s giving in to the Republican Party; I don’t know if he’s just naive,” she said.
Fetterman, who also said he’d “have a beer with this guy” in Oz this week, ace NOTUS informed — dismissed the reaction to his latest remarks on Friday.
“Freaks are rarely instructive.” posted on X. “I never agreed to a yes, just an open dialogue, lol.”
He also indicated that a majority of Republicans in the Senate supported his view. While Democrats don’t have the power to block Trump’s nominees, they can play a role in steering the conversation about them.
Fetterman’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Fetterman has already alienated some of his leftist supporters, who have expressed frustration and disappointment with his staunch support of Israel in its war against Hamas. He also extended his sarcastic approach — which was previously known to extend to Republicans like Oz — to progressives who had previously supported him.
“There is a pattern of people feeling deceived by him and how he actually goes about his business,” Perrone said.
Meanwhile, Fetterman made a better impression on Republicans with his unwavering support for Israel. He welcomed pro-Israel Trump’s nominations with open arms, including Senator Marco Rubio and US Representative Elise Stefanik. He was there though disrespectful regarding the now withdrawn nomination of former Florida State Representative Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, sarcastically speaking he didn’t expect Gaetz to be unconfirmed.
Staff writer Julia Terruso contributed to this article.
