No, Fetterman Will Not Debate Dr. Oz Now

Dr. Mehmet Oz has been pushing John Fetterman to debate him as the two battle it out for a Senate seat, but Fetterman has made it clear he's a no-go—at least for now. In its latest statement about a proposed debate next week, the Oz campaign listed a number of concessions that would be made for Fetterman, who suffered a stroke during his Senate campaign and only recently returned to the campaign trail in Pennsylvania. Fetterman says those concessions are insulting, NBC News reports. "My recovery may be a joke to Dr. Oz and his team, but it’s real for me," Fetterman says in his statement, which WGAL has in full. "Today’s statement from Dr. Oz’s team made it abundantly clear that they think it is funny to mock a stroke survivor. I chose not to participate in this farce."

His statement notes that while he won't be participating in a debate next week, he looks "forward to having a productive discussion about how we can move forward and have a real conversation on this once Dr. Oz and his team are ready to take this seriously." Oz's team, which has committed to five debates (none of which Fetterman has agreed to yet), said in its response statement, "Ok, so when will he debate? He won’t ever say—not even in his latest whiny statement." Fetterman is currently leading Oz in the polls. The "concessions" listed by Oz's team included permitting Fetterman to have bathroom breaks, notes on hand, an earpiece to hear from his staff, and medical personnel on site—paid for by Oz's campaign. (Fetterman recently released a letter from 109 Pennsylvania physicians who are against Dr. Oz.)