On Tuesday, NBC News ran a report about the Armenian-American community’s backlash to the endorsement by former President Donald Trump of Turkish-American celebrity physician Mehmet Oz.
Trump had endorsed Oz earlier in the month for the Republican Senate Primary in Pennsylvania, stating “I have known Dr. Oz for many years, as have many others, even if only through his very successful television show”, and added “he has lived with us through the screen and has always been popular, respected and smart.”
The Armenian-American community’s opposition to Oz stems from Turkey’s continue denial of the Armenian Genocide. Oz is of Turkish descent, has served in the Turkish military, and has held dual Turkish citizenship. When asked about his views on the Armenian Genocide, Oz’s campaign spokesperson has avoided referring to the events as genocide and has relied instead on euphemisms, stating only that Oz “opposes genocide and the murder of innocent people in all forms” and that the “evils of World War I should be commemorated.”
Aram Hamparian, the Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America told NBC News that “for the better part of the last 100 years, we have been trying to wrestle the memory of the Armenian genocide out of Turkey’s grip. So when somebody is running for office who is close to the leader of that country, who has served in the military of that country — that’s a three-alarm fire.”
