Oprah Winfrey may have 2020 on her mind, but that doesn’t mean she’s actively considering a run for president.
Gayle King told her co-hosts on CBS This Morning Tuesday that her best friend is “intrigued” by the idea of running for president, but that she’s not actually considering it at this moment.
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King praised Winfrey for delivering a “home run” speech at the Golden Globes on Sunday night but said it was not intended as a “launching pad” for a presidential campaign.
“I don’t think at this point she is actually considering it,” King said, adding that “I also know, after years of watching the Oprah show, you always have the right to change your mind.”
King confirmed that some of Winfrey’s friends and colleagues have been urging her to run, saying, “Listen, there are people who’ve said they want to be her campaign manager.”
Even Winfrey’s longtime partner Stedman Graham said “she would absolutely do it” if the people convinced her, he told the Los Angeles Times.
However, King said Tuesday that Graham misinterpreted the question from the Times and was responding that Graham “absolutely” thought Winfrey would make a good president.
“I’m thinking that she is not going to be running for president. That’s what I’m thinking,” King said. But, she added, “I do think she’s very intrigued.”
Momentum for a Winfrey presidential run sparked after the TV host, actress and producer gave a stunning speech to accept the Cecil B. de Mille award on Sunday night — one strikingly similar to a campaign speech, many fans wrote on social media.
“In my career, what I’ve always tried my best to do, whether on television or through film, is to say something about how men and women really behave,” she said. “To say how we experience shame, how we love and how we rage, how we fail, how we retreat, persevere and how we overcome.”
As Winfrey declared that “a new day is on the horizon,” the audience leapt to its feet with applause, signaling their approval of her message. She was referring to the #MeToo movement, but her slogan could double as a rallying cry should she toss in a bid to become President Winfrey.
The nearly 10-minute speech generated an Oprah 2020 hashtag on Twitter and ignited hope for fans who are eager to see Winfrey flourish in a new career venture.
Photo credit: CBS
