A medical emergency briefly interrupted President Donald Trump’s rally in Kentucky on Wednesday, calling Dr. Mehmet Oz into action. Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under Trump, found himself performing two roles after a woman collapsed during the event. He shifted from attendee to physician when the emergency occurred.
Around thirty minutes after Trump began speaking, an elderly woman in the crowd behind him fainted and dropped to the floor. Onlookers alerted Trump to the situation, prompting the president to ask whether there was a “doctor in the house.” There was, and it was one of his own officials — Dr. Oz. As Oz and a group of event first responders assisted the woman in the crowd, Trump halted his speech and watched the situation unfold, assuring those gathered that they had “all the time” necessary for the woman to be treated.
During the pause, Trump asked the audience, “Do you think the people backstage are listening to me?” and proposed that if they were, they should play the song Ave Maria for the audience. Although the suggestion appeared to be well-meaning, Ave Maria is sometimes performed during Catholic funeral services; Trump has played the song during earlier rallies.
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Roughly 7 minutes later, still without Ave Maria being played, the woman rose to her feet and was met with loud cheers from the crowd. Trump responded by saying, “She looks great.” Oz and the event’s first responders then guided the woman away from the crowd, and Trump highlighted that it had been Oz who moved to help, as reported by The New York Post.
Donald Trump offered praise for Oz, saying, “It is Dr. Oz, can you believe it? Dr. Oz!” Trump said. “He is a good doctor. Thank you, Oz.” Once the woman was escorted away from the area, Trump went back to his usual rally-style rhetoric. “Thank you very much. We were talking about Gavin Newsom — doesn’t seem like a very good subject right now. It made that young lady not feel so good,” The president said, before launching into criticism of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The Democratic governor was not the only figure to draw Trump’s criticism on Wednesday night. During his trip to Kentucky, Trump also encouraged residents to vote out seven-term Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who has been a source of tension for Trump in recent months. Trump has backed Massie’s primary opponent, Ed Gallrein, a farmer and former U.S. Navy SEAL.
Massie has split with Republicans over Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, over Trump’s tariffs, and he has spoken critically about Trump’s war in Iran. A U.S. soldier from Kentucky, Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, was the seventh American service member killed during U.S. military operations in Iran.
Advocacy for the release of the Epstein files has also been a key position for the congressman. Massie has asserted that his voting decisions are guided by his ideals and by the campaign pledges Trump made in 2024. He has argued that Trump is not fulfilling those commitments, and he is voting accordingly.
They’re paying to bus people to the Trump event in my Congressional District. What they’ll discover is Trump fans in KY-4 and across the entire Commonwealth also support my work on the Epstein files, reigning in spending, ending forever wars, draining the swamp, and food freedom! pic.twitter.com/rfVcVYf3lh
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) March 10, 2026
The congressman shrugged off the president’s campaign against him.
