Dr. Oz Cornered Into Admitting His Boss Donald Trump Was Wrong About the MMR Vaccine on Live TV

During an appearance on Face the Nation, Dr. Mehmet Oz explicitly stated that the MMR vaccine is "not a lethal vaccine," directly countering previous claims by President Donald Trump, who had baselessly characterized the measles, mumps and rubella immunization as "quite lethal.”

Moderator Margaret Brennan pressed Dr. Oz — who serves as the administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) — to clarify and address the administration's rhetoric regarding vaccine safety.

The former Oprah personality appeared on the show to address recent unproven assertions made by Trump.

Earlier in the month, while signing a vaccine-related executive order, Trump told reporters, "together there could be a possibility [the MMR vaccine is] quite lethal and separately, it looks like they are not at all lethal, but just very effective.”

Dr. Oz initially attempted to deflect the questions, reframing the issue in terms of parental rights and medical autonomy.

He maintained that Trump wants Americans to have choice regarding medical recommendations.

“The president wants Americans — he’s said this many times — to get vaccinated as their doctor recommends. As long as they have a choice in the matter,” he claimed.

Dr. Oz was eventually pinned down by an intrepid Brennan, who refused to let the topic drop, challenging Oz's suggestion that the shots could easily be unbundled by noting that separating the immunizations could take a decade to administer, and conceded on air: "No, the MMR vaccine is not a lethal vaccine.”

“The MMR vaccine is not offered in three separate shots. Merck, which produces it, said they couldn’t offer that for another ten years. Currently it’s only offered as a single shot. The president called that single shot lethal. Do you want to clarify that?” she asked.

Dr. Oz spluttered and then admitted, “The MMR vaccine is not a lethal vaccine.”

Public health agencies, medical professionals and independent fact-checkers have repeatedly affirmed the safety profile of the combined MMR vaccine, flatly rejecting descriptions of it as lethal.

Trump's initial comments regarding the vaccine drew sharp rebukes from the medical community and lawmakers alike.

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a gastroenterologist, called Trump's Oval Office claims "wrong on so many levels" and "potentially tragic,” despite having confirmed anti-vax Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a vote he admitted he regretted.

Medical experts and federal health agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have repeatedly debunked these claims, emphasizing that the vaccine is safe, highly effective and entirely nonlethal in its standard, combined form.

Former CDC chief Dr. Richard Besser called the directive “really dangerous,” noting Trump was “injecting himself into something where he has absolutely no expertise."