Democratic candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Mehmet Oz said he was “exhausted” when he filmed his viral crudités video and mispronounced Wegman’s.
“I’ve gotten my kids’ names wrong as well,” Oz said on Newsmax.
In the video, Oz blamed President Biden for the high veggie prices, saying the GOP needs to win the Senate.
Dr. Memento Oz, the GOP candidate for a US Senate seat in Pennsylvania, went viral again this week after his opponent John Fetterman retweeted an April video of Oz in a PA grocery store collecting vegetables for a make-your-own crudités platter.
In the video, Oz mispronounced the name of the Pennsylvania grocery chain Wegman’s, calling it ‘Wegner’s’ while picking up broccoli, asparagus, and carrots, along with guacamole and fresh salsa.
Since the video resurfaced Monday, Oz was asked by Newsmax’s Shaun Kraisman about the crudités mishap, particularly about the “Wegner’s” gaffe.
“I was exhausted,” Oz said, laughing. “I’ve gotten my kids’ names wrong as well.”
“I don’t think that’s a measure of one’s ability to run the commonwealth,” Oz said.
Kraisman also asked if Oz is relatable to the average PA voter after his crudités video went viral.
“I’ve rolled my sleeves up my whole life,” Oz responded.
He continued: “When I joke about a crudité, which is a way of speaking about how ridiculous it is that you can’t even put vegetables on a plate in the middle of a campaign to do whatever we need to do to make sure the people of Pennsylvania respect what we’re about. We’re going to work as hard as we can to fix their problems. It’s what I’ve done my whole life and what I’ll continue to do.”
—Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) August 17, 2022
In the video, Oz blamed President Joe Biden for the high veggie prices, suggesting Republicans need to take over the Senate for a real change. He said his haul for the crudités platter cost him $20.
“That’s outrageous,” Oz said in the video. “We’ve got Joe Biden to thank for this.”
Fetterman did not hold back in responding to Oz’s mess-up.
“In PA we call this a … veggie tray,” Fetterman tweeted in response to the video Monday, prompting the old post to reach new heights on social media.
—John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) August 15, 2022
Fetterman is now campaigning on “Wegner’s” and crudités, posting another tweet Tuesday holding a veggie tray saying: “If this looks like anything other than a Veggie Tray to you, then I am probably NOT your candidate lol.”
—John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) August 17, 2022
Fetterman has also encouraged PA residents to “shop local” at “Wegner’s” and even launched a donation campaign with Wegman’s that gifts donators a sticker that says “Wegner’s: Let them eat crudité.”
—John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) August 16, 2022
Fetterman has racked up $500,000 in donations since Monday, all thanks to Oz’s gaffe.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.