Trump-backed Dr Oz in race for Senator: Why the celebrity surgeon has everyone’s attention?

Mehmet Cengiz Öz, better known as ‘Dr Oz’, is locked in perhaps his most high-profile battle. But this one isn’t against some disease in an Operating Theatre. Oz is a hair’s breath away from clinching the Pennsylvania Republican primary and becoming one step closer to becoming a Senator. On Wednesday, former US president Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to urge ‘Dr Oz’ to simply declare victory even as votes continue to be counted (over 95 percent of the total is in). Few could have imagined that Oz, the celebrity doctor and star of numerous appearances on the TV show Oprah, could potentially make history s being the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. Amid the backdrop of the cliff-hanger in Pennsylvania, let’s examine the life and career of ‘Dr Oz’, how he became famous and why Trump is backing him. Life and career

• Graduated from Harvard University
• Obtained a joint MD and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Wharton Business School
• Currently Attending Physician at NY Presbyterian-Columbia Medical Center
• Hosts The Dr. Oz Show
• Has performed thousands of heart operations and has practiced medicine simultaneously with his TV show
• Authored over 350 original publications
• Written eight New York Times bestsellers
• Received numerous patents for developing medical devices that have saved countless lives
• Lives in Bryn Athyn with his wife of 36 years Lisa
• He has four children: Daphne, Arabella, Zoe and Oliver
• He also has four grandchildren: Philomena, John, Domenica, and Giovanna
• In addition to the number #1 health show on TV for a dozen years, Dr Oz was a featured health expert on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” for six seasons.

Rise to fame Which brings us to her. Oprah. Oz in an interview estimated that he’d been on Oprah’s TV show 88 times.

Had it not been for Oprah Winfrey, the former queen of daytime television, chances are the world would not have heard of Dr Oz (or Dr Phil, who isn’t actually a medical doctor). Which actually might have been for the better, some claim. Accusations of shilling products Oz has been accused by critics of using his celebrity and personality to hawk products. As the Daily Beast observed when Oz was set to testify before the US Senate in 2014: “Dr Oz’s involvement with sham obesity treatments isn’t just limited to green coffee. He is also quite happy to shill for garcinia cambogia, which he calls the ‘newest, fastest fat-buster’. Never mind that no studies have shown a weight-loss benefit after 12 weeks of taking it, and several studies have demonstrated no such benefit at all. The only thing that seems supported by reliable evidence is that it probably won’t hurt you, which I guess is reason enough for Dr Oz to fall all over himself promoting it.” The piece continued: “The unmitigated claptrap that Dr Oz promotes doesn’t stop at weight-loss treatments, either. He’ll help you choose “the right cleanse for your body type.” (Correct answer: none of them.) He’ll give you tips about creating a homeopathy starter kit, despite homeopathy being a preposterous pile of pseudoscientific malarkey. He’s featured Dr Joseph Mercola, a man who (among other things) urges parents to skip the vitamin K shot that will prevent a potentially devastating bleeding disorder in their infants.” Controversy over Turkish connection Though he was born in the United States, Oz holds Turkish citizenship, served in its military and even voted in its 2017 election. His rivals in the the Pennsylvania Republican primary made a big point off this, painting his connections to his parents’ native land as a ‘possible national security’ issue. Oz for his part has claimed that he would renounce his Turkish citizenship if elected to office. Oz also has financial ties to Turkey. In his financial disclosure report to the Senate, Oz disclosed property that he owns in Turkey, assets from his late father’s estate that are tied up in legal proceedings there and an endorsement agreement with Turkish Airlines, which is partly owned by the Turkish government. [caption id=“attachment_3538687” align=“alignnone” width=“380”]  Representational image. Getty Images[/caption] In recent debates, McCormick — a decorated US Army combat veteran of the Gulf War — has accused Oz of unnecessarily holding dual citizenship in Turkey and tried to contrast Oz’s service in the Turkish military with McCormick’s in the US Army. Another rival, Carla Sands, Trump’s former ambassador to Denmark who inherited a commercial real estate fortune, has suggested Oz has dual loyalties, calling him “Turkey First,” as a play on Trump’s “America First” governing philosophy. Fending off McCormick’s attacks in March, Oz suggested that his religion is being targeted, accusing McCormick of making “bigoted attacks” that are “reminiscent of slurs made in the past about Catholics and Jews.” Oz has maintained that he served in Turkey’s military as a young man to keep his dual citizenship. He keeps it to this day, he said, so he has legal power in Turkey to make health care decisions for his mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Oz voted in Turkey’s 2018 election when he was at the consulate in New York for meetings about his humanitarian work on behalf of Syrian refugees in Turkey, his campaign said. He voted against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his campaign said, noting that it is not unusual for Americans with dual citizenship to vote in elections in other countries. “Voting in an election is far different from being actively engaged in the political work of the Turkish government, which Dr. Oz has never been involved with," Oz’s campaign said. Senate historians have been unable to find a US senator who maintained dual citizenship. [caption id=“attachment_9301701” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  File image of former US president Donald Trump. AP[/caption] Backed by Trump The former president stuck to his playbook when choosing to throw his weight behind Oz in Pennsylvania. Writing for CNN, Chris Cillizza put it thus: The words Trump used to announce his endorsement are telling. ‘I have known Dr Oz for many years, as have many others, even if only through his very successful television show,” Trump said. “He has lived with us through the screen and has always been popular, respected and smart. “When you’re in television for 18 years, that’s like a poll. That means people like you.” For his part, Oz has gone out of his way to be deferential to Trump (who continues to have an unshakeable grip on the base of the Republican party). “President Trump after he endorsed me continued to lean into this race in Pennsylvania,” Oz said recently. “God bless you sir, for putting so much effort into this race. I will make you proud.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.