WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would welcome a candidate Oprah Winfrey in 2020, adding that beating her would be “a lot of fun”.
“Yeah, I’ll beat Oprah,” the president told reporters at the White House. “Oprah will be lots of fun. I did one of her last shows…. I like Oprah. I don’t think she’s going to run,” the president said when asked about Winfrey’s speech during Sunday night’s Golden Globe ceremony, which many of her supporters called “presidential”.
The president’s comments came after a bipartisan lunch during which issues relating to DACA and building a border wall between the US and Mexico were discussed.
Winfrey, who was a staunch supporter of former president Barack Obama, has not officially commented on the hype surrounding her speech at Sunday night’s award ceremony but has denied having presidential ambitions in the past.
Winfrey’s longtime friend, Gayle King, however, said Winfrey is “intrigued” by the idea of a presidential run.
“I do think she’s intrigued by the idea. I do think that. I also know after years of watching the Oprah show, you always have a right to change your mind,” King, an anchor on “CBS This Morning,” said on the program (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gayle-king-addresses-oprah-2020-presidential-run-speculation/), but added: “I don’t think at this point she is actually considering it.”
Ironically, Trump once targeted Winfrey as a possible running mate when considering a presidential run in 1999. During an interview with Larry King on Larry King Live, Trump said of Winfrey, “Well, I really haven’t gotten quite there yet. Oprah, I love Oprah. Oprah would always be my first choice. Oprah, your competitor, right? She’s really a great woman, though, she is a terrific woman. She’s somebody that’s very special. I think, if she’d do it, she’d be fantastic. She’s popular, she’s brilliant, she’s a wonderful woman.”
Winfrey’s longtime partner, Stedman Graham, when asked by reporters following Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony whether Winfrey would consider a possible presidential bid, said that she would “absolutely” run.
- More
