Finally, on April 18, Dr. Mehmet Oz took the oath of office. He has since moved on to beamed administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The culminating ceremony was held in the Oval Office. His family were on hand to help, his wife Lisa, son Oliver and daughters Daphne, Arabella and Zoe. However, the event took an unexpected turn when Dr. Oz‘s 11-year-old granddaughter, Philomena, fainted during President Trump’s remarks.
While President Trump was bringing attention to Dr. Oz’s nomination, the mood went from celebratory to serious when Philomena fainted. Dr. Oz quickly attended to his granddaughter before returning to stand beside the president, who had been discussing various topics, including nuclear weapons, at the time of the incident.
One witness described an eerie and surreal scene turning to chaos as people reacted with panic in the moments after the attack. A few moments later, a family member shouted, “Philo fainted, Philo fainted. Dad, go!” prompting Dr. Oz to frantically fly home to visit Philomena. Fortunately, she regained her composure shortly thereafter.
On April 3, the Senate voted 53–45 to confirm Dr. Oz as the new administrator of the CMS. His appointment is a well-deserved and historic achievement. He took an uphill and surprising path to this position by successfully running as a Republican Senate candidate in Pennsylvania’s highly polarized 2022 Senate race. Ultimately, he was defeated by Democratic challenger John Fetterman.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. administered the oath of office. The purpose of the event was to usher in this next chapter in Dr. Oz’s career. He is making a pivot from his criticism as a television personality to assuming the role of the new Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
Dr. Oz thanked his family for their support during this transformative time in his career. Also present at the ceremony were his wife, Lisa, and their children. Even with the mayhem of the day, they rejoiced over their dad’s new responsibilities.