A man experienced a sudden medical emergency in the White House on Thursday, Nov. 6, while President Donald Trump and his health advisers were holding a conference about reducing the cost of weight loss medications.
During the livestream, the man — positioned near Trump’s desk — abruptly collapsed as Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks was speaking, prompting Ricks to stop mid-sentence. Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, quickly rushed forward and caught the man as he fell.
Oz and others in the Oval Office assisted in laying the man on the ground, while a White House staff member instructed reporters to exit the room. The press was then escorted to the White House Briefing Room.
A few minutes later, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the man was “okay.”
“During the Most Favored Nations Oval Office Announcement, a representative with one of the companies fainted,” she said in a statement. “The White House Medical Unit quickly jumped into action, and the gentleman is okay. The press conference will resume shortly.”
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When the event restarted without the individual who had collapsed, Trump addressed the incident directly.
“One of the representatives of one of the companies got a little light-headed and so they went down, and he’s fine,” Trump explained. “He’s got doctor’s care, but he’s fine. So we had a little bit of an interruption. Sorry for that,” he added before inviting Ricks to continue.
Initially, Getty Images identified the man as Gordon Findlay, global brand director for Ozempic manufacturer Novo Nordisk. However, the company later clarified to several outlets that Findlay had not been present at the event.
Dr. Oz was also involved in another medical incident at the White House earlier this year when his granddaughter fainted during his swearing-in ceremony.
Philomena, the 11-year-old daughter of Daphne Oz, lost consciousness as her grandfather was being sworn in by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the Oval Office on April 18.
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At that event, Trump had been delivering remarks about Oz’s appointment and had begun speaking about nuclear weapons, warning of “great danger” if Iran were to obtain one, when Philomena suddenly fainted. Video from the ceremony captured the moment as journalists reacted and one of Oz’s daughters exclaimed, “Philo fainted, Philo fainted. Dad, go!”
In an update posted by Daphne Oz on Instagram a few days later, she reassured followers that her daughter had made a full recovery.
“We are so grateful it was nothing serious, and she bounced right back,” she wrote on April 20.
