The White House press corp was left largely looking for answers on Tuesday after Mehmet Oz was tapped to headline the press briefing, thereby ensuring the agenda focused mostly on healthcare as opposed to more controversial subjects.
The appearance by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator meant that pressing questions on subjects such as the appointment of Bill Pulte as acting national intelligence director, updates about the Iran war, and the Department of Justice’s weaponization fund were either largely sidestepped or simply not addressed.
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“I’m here because I love Medicaid,” Oz, the latest substitute for Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt while she is out on maternity leave, said during the nearly 40-minute briefing. “The president has already said he loves and cherishes Medicaid and Medicare. … Medicaid, in particular, is the ultimate payer of last resort. We cannot allow these programs to be defrauded into a turmoil that they cannot pull up from.”
Tuesday’s event saw the White House press corps mostly pepper Oz with healthcare-related questions, including the growing Ebola crisis, COVID-era vaccine mandates, most-favored-nation drug pricing agreements, and cracking down on Medicaid fraud. He was not asked a single question about the Iran war, even as negotiations for a long-term peace deal appear to be faltering.
Oz’s appearance at the podium follows Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who have all held press briefings while Leavitt remains out on maternity leave for her second child.
Although not as charismatic as Rubio, who shone in his press briefing, Oz’s ability to deftly answer questions, defend the administration, and deflect on questions outside of his purview marked a strong appearance for the CMS administrator, who spent more than a decade hosting the Dr. Oz Show, created by Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions.
“I think Scott Bessent’s dry humor is fabulous,” Oz said as he ranked the Cabinet members’ turn filling in for Leavitt. “Marco is just an earnestly funny person. We can tell all kinds of stories about Marco’s entertaining commentary. I think JD was spectacular, you know. He’s just very on his game, understands the issues, and he understands the American people. … I appreciated his presentation so much, and I did watch them all, by the way, just to prepare.”
Oz fielded a few questions about Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to replace Tulsi Gabbard as acting director of national intelligence, but he largely deflected.
“I don’t know anything more about Bill Pulte than you do,” Oz told reporters. “I did not think that would be one of the questions that would even come up here. I hadn’t even heard the news when I walked out.”
Oz also said, “Bill is a great guy, I know him socially.”
“I’ve not worked with him in his current job,” he said. “But I do trust the president’s judgment. He is a very sharp and quick study of people, their emotional abilities, and their ability to persevere in the face of hardship. So, I have confidence in his decision.”
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Notably, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has not yet held a press briefing, but Oz’s appearance is an indication of his standing in the administration.
“Given Marco Rubio, Vance, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent preceded Oz at the briefing room podium in the Brady room, it is certainly a sign that President Trump is happy with Oz’s work,” said one Republican with ties to the White House. “They are not going to put somebody up there who they feel uncomfortable with. Particularly given the hostility of some of the members of the White House press corps towards the administration.”
