It’s undeniable that a number of Republican candidates get through their midterm primaries this year with the help of President Trump’s endorsement — but some may now be wary of the former president’s continued involvement.
Just like this celebrity TV doc is better known as “Dr. Oz” and in real life as Dr. Mehmet Oz who was able to beat out all other Republicans in the recent U.S. Senate primary race in Pennsylvania after securing an endorsement by Trump.
Dr. Oz has removed any mention of President Trump from his Twitter bio, background image, campaign website splash page, and even recent advertisement. However, he reportedly expressed gratitude for Trump’s assistance upon winning the race.
Here’s what the New York Post reported:
Specifically, social media banners on Oz’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts no longer advertise him as being “Endorsed By Trump.” Instead, both accounts feature a banner that reads “Thank you, Pennsylvania” along with a solo photo of the celebrity doctor.
The Facebook banner — also known as a cover photo — was changed on June 12. The Twitter photo was also changed by that date, according to screengrabs collected by WayBack Time Machine.
Oz’s bios on both of the accounts also no longer list him as a “Trump endorsed candidate for US Senate,” and simply say, “Thank you, Pennsylvania.”
Even the Republican’s posts have shifted away from consistent pro-Trump language.
Axios found that Oz’s official Twitter account mentioned the former president over 70 times between April 9 and May 17. The account has not mentioned Trump’s name in a post since.
A number of media analysts and pundits on social media have also noticed the conspicuous absence of any references to Trump.
You can check for yourself. @DrOz hasn’t even tweeted once about Trump since the day of the primary
Over one month ago now
— No Roe Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 22, 2022
New from me @Axios: Dr. Oz has quietly dropped his Trump branding post-primary:
– 70+ tweets about Trump btwn endorsement and primary, none since then
– No new ads feat. Trump vs. tons during primary
– Scrubbed Trump from social media profiles/website https://t.co/GcYCwdIXnu
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) June 22, 2022
Considering the fact that he is currently trailing the Democratic candidate in the race, it would appear that Oz could use all the help he can get.
Pennsylvania Senate Race:
- John Fetterman 46%
- Dr. Oz 37%
Fetterman is pulling ahead by running strong in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh AND by polling way better than Democrats usually do in rural counties where he has gone out of his way to campaign.
(USA Today/Suffolk Poll) pic.twitter.com/kifwJQc3Mc
— John Nichols (@NicholsUprising) June 22, 2022
Nevertheless, there seems to be some reason that he has scrubbed virtually every mention of Trump from his social media posts — including his page on Trump’s Truth Social platform.
Axios have some details to share:
After the endorsement, Trump was a near-ubiquitous fixture in Oz’s spots — even a series of six-second issue ads on guns, abortion and energy began with “endorsed by President Trump.”
Oz’s Twitter account mentioned Trump more than 70 times between the endorsement on April 9 and primary day, May 17.
On Google and Facebook, Oz’s campaign bought a barrage of Trump-focused ads during the primary.
Both his Facebook and Twitter accounts were emblazoned during the primary with a cover photo of Trump and Oz with the words “endorsed by Trump,” and his website had a pop-up to let visitors know he was “Trump-endorsed.”
Here’s how Oz celebrated the endorsement shortly after Trump made his announcement:
Watch it here: DoctorOZ/Youtube
Other Republican candidates have retained symbols of their support for Trump after riding his endorsement to a primary win.
J.D. Vance, who won the Ohio Senate primary on May 3, still highlights his endorsement from Trump on his campaign website and prominently on his social media.
Unlike Georgia or Pennsylvania, however, Ohio is a state that supported Trump decisively in the 2020 election.
Trump won Ohio by 8 percentage points in 2020, retaining 2016 levels of support in that state even though a sufficient number of others slipped away from him to cost him the presidency.
Sources: WLT, New York Post, Axios
