An impromptu press conference following Dr. Mehmet Oz’s swearing-in as head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was cut short after a young girl who was there to witness the ceremony passed out as President Donald Trump was addressing questions from the press.
Trump was in the middle of a stem-winding answer to a question about whether he would permit Iran to maintain a civilian nuclear power program as part of any agreement he negotiates with the country to end its’ long-running nuclear weapons program when the six-year-old girl began to pass out.
Dr Oz, a University of Pennsylvania-educated physicians who was once a highly regarded heart surgeon before gaining prominence as a television presenter, quickly move to attend to the young girl, who was a guest of his at the ceremony to begin his tenure heading the U.S. medical agency, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The assembled members of the White House press corps who’d been brought to the Oval Office to witness his swearing-in were quickly ushered out.
A White House official said of the event: “A minor family member fainted during Dr. Oz’s swearing in ceremony in the Oval Office. We are happy to say she is okay.”
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