Mehmet Oz's campaign blames John Fetterman's stroke on his diet

Pennsylvania Republican United States Senate candidate Mehmet Oz's campaign is firing back against the brutal mockery that Oz received last week after he released an ad of him perusing through the produce section of a grocery store, which he misnamed while complaining about the costs of crudité ingredients.

In response, Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, Oz's Democratic opponent, trolled Oz in a series of tweets with pictures of vegetables and dip.

On Wednesday, Oz responded with an attack on Fetterman, who suffered a stroke on May 13th just two days before his state's Democratic primary.

"If John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn't have had a major stroke and wouldn't be in the position of having to lie about it constantly," Oz campaign senior communications adviser Rachel Tripp told Business Insider in an exclusive statement.

Oz was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in April. But behind the scenes, Trump's confidence in Oz's ability to win has foundered.

Last Friday, Rolling Stone reported that Trump had privately conceded that Oz "is going to f*cking lose."

The magazine noted that Trump “is coming to the same conclusion that numerous party consultants and conservative bigwigs arrived at earlier this summer: Oz is very likely doomed.”