Dr Oz — Who Made a Fortune on TV — Justifies Trump’s Media Ban

(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Dr. Mehmet Oz laughed off President Donald Trump’s media ban when pressed by a reporter, despite the fact that the TV doctor made his own fortune thanks to the media.

After being discovered by Oprah Winfrey in 2004, the cardiothoracic surgeon became a fixture on daytime television from 2009 to 2022 and earned an estimated $20 million a year thanks to his show.

NewsNation’s Libbey Dean caught up with Dr. Oz Friday as he left the White House shortly after Trump announced he was banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the grounds for reporting “fake news.”

“Do you agree with the President’s decision to ban media outlets from the White House?” Dean asked.

“You know, I talk to your colleagues all the time about this, and they say invariably, ‘He was mean to us, but you know what’s really, really bad for us? If he doesn’t talk to us,'” Oz said.

“I thought what Gov. [Sarah] Huckabee [Sanders] (R-AR) said was perfect. You’re complaining — understandably, because the President’s taking a stance on who’s allowed to be here — but the folks who are here, and they’re all here, he engages them fully and he fights those battles,” Oz said.

“And I was talking to a colleague from a foreign country who said that, from her perspective, his being mean to them or making life difficult for them had no impact on her business. What would impact her business is if he didn’t speak to them,” Oz said. “And in fairness, President Biden didn’t speak to the press for a year and a half, basically. So, all of the press had a ban for a year and a half. This president, I mean, I was in there and it was crowded, and it was hot because it was crowded, and he, you know, I barreled through it. He keeps going.”

“You’re very familiar with the media,” Dean said. “Don’t you think this is a violation, though, of the First Amendment to ban media outlets?”

“No, he’s not banning media outlets!” Oz exclaimed. “Media outlets can come and cover him. He doesn’t want them around him. But this is part of how the president is. He’s going to fight his battles, and people are going to address him. In some ways, it actually is a unique opportunity to watch how the press responds. Let them defend themselves as they will, as you will, and let the president fight back, and let the best person win.”

Watch above.

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