Trump on Dr. Oz: Everything's a reality show?
Is everything a reality show now?
Health has become a hot topic in the presidential race. Traditionally, a candidate might release medical records to the media to assuage any fears.
Not Donald Trump.
Instead, Trump took to a talk show, discussing his health on “The Dr. Oz Show” in a much-ballyhooed taped appearance that aired Thursday, Sept. 15. To the great surprise of no one, Trump, the Republican nominee for president, pronounced himself healthy, and Mehmet Oz, the show’s host, concurred, though both agreed he could lose a little weight. Oz said he also invited Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and she is “considering” the offer.
Why? Is a TV doctor show really the appropriate place for this kind of thing? Maybe Trump and Clinton could address legal questions about them on “Judge Judy.” Granted, new platforms are springing up all over in campaigns, and candidates have long sought ways around traditional media, who have that pesky habit of asking real questions and expecting real answers.
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That is not the case on afternoon talk shows.
It’s true that appearances on late-night talk shows are part of the game, but those tend to be short, genial affairs. This was a legitimate topic voters care about. The choice of venues is just odd.
In what was supposed to be the big surprise — a surprise lessened by the show teasing it the day before — Oz asked Trump if his health was as good as he claims, why not just release his records?
The camera zoomed in on Trump’s face. He held a serious pose and … cut to commercial.
Come on. What is this, Ryan Seacrest on “American Idol?” Again, they released video of Trump handing Oz the records on Wednesday.
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When the show came back from break, we saw Oz ask the question again, and Trump, playing to the audience as ever, asks, “Should I do it? I don’t care.” And he pulls out the couple of documents he just happened to have in his coat pocket and hands them to Oz, who goes over them and pronounces Trump healthy.
One more time: Is everything a reality show now? Trump, the former host of “The Apprentice,” certainly knows what plays for drama on TV. So does Oz, a heart surgeon who has come under fire for endorsing quack treatments and for conflicts of interest. He told Trump at the beginning of the appearance that “we’re not going to discuss Secretary Clinton,” and for the most part things were pretty warm and fuzzy between them.
Oz waded into politics a bit, though he gently admonished Trump when the candidate said, “We have a president who plays so much golf he could be on the PGA Tour.”
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Ivanka Trump, the candidate’s daughter and one of his closest advisors, also appeared, talking about health for families.
Oz did tell Trump that he had said some unkind things about women, and asked whether he regretted it.
“It depends on what you’re talking about,” Trump said. If he’d known he was going to go into politics, he wouldn’t have been so chatty on Howard Stern’s show — “we have fun.”
No follow-up.
Ivanka Trump then said, “I do think there is a bit of a false narrative out there on this,” explaining that it would be “strange” if Trump, who “can be a little rough on people,” treated women differently than men.
Huh?
Granted, you’d never confuse Oz with Mike Wallace, and it’s not his job to be an investigative reporter. But wouldn’t curiosity lead you to follow some answers with more questions?
Oz asked Trump if we had a moral obligation to take care of an undocumented immigrant who collapses and needs life-saving help.
“Well, under my plan the undocumented, or as you would say illegal immigrant, wouldn’t be in this country. They only come in the country legally.”
Oz’s response?
“We’ll be right back.”
In the end the biggest surprise turned out to be Trump’s assessment of himself: “I think temperament is my single greatest asset.”
Never doubted it for a minute.
Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: twitter.com/goodyk.
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