Earlier this month, Oprah Winfrey made a little jokey joke about running for president and now that the idea is out in the universe, there’s a microscopic sliver of a possibility that it could happen. A recent survey suggests she would have a chance of winning.
When asked about running for president during a March 1 interview with Bloomberg News, Oprah stated, “I never considered the question, even the possibility. I just thought, Oh. Oh….I thought, ‘I don’t have the experience. I don’t know enough.’ And now I am thinking, ‘Oh.’” CNBC reported that Oprah didn’t “rule out running for president,” while other outlets ran with the idea that she was rethinking or considering a presidential run.
In the full video, though, we see the part where Oprah clarifies, “No, that won’t be happening, but I did used to think, well, gee you have to know so much more than I thought you had to know.” The people want it, according to a Public Policy Polling Survey (because we all trust polls and they’re never wrong):
Reports have conflicted on whether she’s really interested but for what it’s worth, Oprah Winfrey has a 49/33 favorability rating nationally and would lead Donald Trump 47-40 in a hypothetical 2020 Presidential contest.
But that’s Oprah the person, not Oprah the candidate. Whether she’d make a good president or not is uncertain, but she would certainly not be a terrible one. Last week at the Austin Film Society’s Texas Film Awards, Shirley MacLaine “nominated” Oprah for president—if only all it took were a cosign from Shirley MacLaine. The thinking is that Oprah’s popularity among white women could carry her through, but who can trust anyone these days?
Shortly after the Bloomberg interview, Oprah’s eternal bestie Gayle King summarily shot down the probability of an Oprah run, saying, “You always have the right to change your mind, but I would bet my first, second born and any unborn children to come, that ain’t never happening. Never. I’ll say never on this one.”
Even before then, two years ago, Oprah told us she would never run, at least “not in this lifetime.” Again, this past January, she told Stephen Colbert it was never happening. Still, people have the right to dream.
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