As Democrats nationwide encourage Oprah Winfrey to seek the presidency in 2020, those closest to the media mogul are sending mixed messages about her political intentions.
Her best friend, CBS B次元官网网址 host Gayle King, said Tuesday that Winfrey is B次元官网网址渋ntriguedB次元官网网址� by the idea of a White House bid.
B次元官网网址淪he loves this country and would like to be of service in some way, but I donB次元官网网址檛 think sheB次元官网网址檚 actively considering it at this time,B次元官网网址� King said, noting that she spoke to Winfrey at length the night before. B次元官网网址淚 also know that after years of watching the Oprah show, you always have the right to change your mind.B次元官网网址�
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On Monday, WinfreyB次元官网网址檚 longtime partner, Stedman Graham, told the Los Angeles Times that B次元官网网址渋tB次元官网网址檚 up to the peopleB次元官网网址� whether she will be president, adding, B次元官网网址淪he would absolutely do it.B次元官网网址�
The presidential buzz follows WinfreyB次元官网网址檚 impassioned call for B次元官网网址渁 brighter morning even in our darkest nightsB次元官网网址� at the Golden Globes on Sunday night in a speech that left some viewers contemplating the idea of the Democratic Party embracing a celebrity candidate of its own to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020. Trump, of course, was little more than a businessman-turned-reality-television-star before his extraordinary political rise.
Trump, who has lauded Winfrey as worthy of the vice presidency, dismissed her Tuesday as a threat, albeit cordially.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檒l beat Oprah. Oprah would be a lot of fun. I know her very well,B次元官网网址� Trump said at the White House as he met with lawmakers to discuss immigration. B次元官网网址淚 like Oprah. I donB次元官网网址檛 think sheB次元官网网址檚 going to run.B次元官网网址�
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., noted that Winfrey, like Trump, lacks any kind of governing experience.
B次元官网网址淚 think one of the arguments for Oprah is 45,B次元官网网址� Pelosi said, referring to Trump in shorthand for the 45th president. B次元官网网址淚 think one of the arguments against Oprah is 45.B次元官网网址�
Even so, for Democrats in early voting states, and perhaps for a public that largely disapproves of TrumpB次元官网网址檚 job performance, the notion of a popular media figure as a presidential candidate is not as strange as it once seemed.
B次元官网网址淟ook, itB次元官网网址檚 ridiculous B次元官网网址� and I get that,B次元官网网址� said Brad Anderson, Barack ObamaB次元官网网址檚 2012 Iowa campaign director, who supports the idea of Winfrey running. B次元官网网址淎t the same time, politics is ridiculous right now.B次元官网网址�
WinfreyB次元官网网址檚 speech as she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award touched on her humble upbringing and childhood wonder in civil rights heroes.
But it was her exhortation of the legions of women who have called out sexual harassers B次元官网网址� and her dream of a day B次元官网网址渨hen nobody has to say B次元官网网址榤e tooB次元官网网址� againB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� that got some influential political operatives thinking Winfrey might be just what the Democrats need. Her appeal extended well beyond her celebrity, some said, citing her compassion, kindness and devotion to helping others as a badly needed change after Trump.
Even TrumpB次元官网网址檚 daughter Ivanka endorsed OprahB次元官网网址檚 message, if not a political future, in a tweet Monday. B次元官网网址淛ust saw @OprahB次元官网网址檚 empowering and inspiring speech at last nightB次元官网网址檚 #GoldenGlobes. LetB次元官网网址檚 all come together, women & men, & say #TIMESUP! #UNITED.B次元官网网址�
TrumpB次元官网网址檚 job approval rating sat at just 32 per cent in December, according to an Associated Press-NORC poll. And though polls show his approval up slightly since, Trump is the least popular first-year president on record. He has also been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct, though he has vehemently denied the allegations.
Winfrey, in September and October, publicly dismissed the notion of seeking the nationB次元官网网址檚 highest office, though she noted that TrumpB次元官网网址檚 victory made her rethink the requirements of the office.
The 64-year-old media mogul has become a cultural phenomenon over the past 30-plus years, born into a poor home in Mississippi but breaking through as a television news and talk show personality in the 1980s. Over 30 years, she became the face of television talk shows, starred and produced feature films, and began her own network.
Thomas Beaumont And Steve Peoples, The Associated Press
