Donald Trump Predicts He’d ‘Beat Oprah’ If She Enters 2020 Race For President, Would Be ‘Lot Of Fun’
Donald Trump finally weighed in on speculation that Oprah Winfrey may challenge him for the White House. When asked about his chances of winning a second term should Oprah enter the 2020 race for president, Trump boasted about his certain victory.
In the early afternoon at the White House, Donald Trump hosted a bipartisan meeting with members of the House and Senate about immigration matters, namely, the Obama-era protection (DACA) for “Dreamers.” The meeting, as acknowledged by Trump, is the first time in a long time that members from both sides of the aisle have sat down to reach an amicable agreement about pending legislation. It also marked a change of events with the press: cameras were allowed in the meeting for nearly an hour.
According to a CNN report, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act gave 800,000 undocumented children protection from deportation over the last five years. The Trump administration recently stopped accepting renewals for protection.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced ending the program but said Congress will be given a “window of time” to act. The administration decided to use DACA as bargaining power for portions of Trump’s agenda (e.g., border wall). During the bipartisan meeting, Trump said he wants a balanced bill, but DACA must be tied to immigration.
Near the end of the televised portion of the rare meeting among politicians, the press asked Trump to weigh in on the possibility of a challenge in 2020 from Oprah Winfrey. Without hesitation, Trump delivered a confident response and said he’d get a second term, as Daily Mail wrote.
“Yeah, I’ll beat Oprah. Oprah would be a lot of fun. I know her very well. I did one of her last shows… I like Oprah. I don’t think she’s going to run.”
Donald Trump’s response comes on the heels of stewing speculation about Winfrey launching a challenge against the Republican incumbent ahead of the start of Trump’s second term in 2020. Rumors ran rampant about a Trump-Winfrey rivalry after the OWN founder’s moving speech at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards.
President Trump says he would beat Oprah in 2020 https://t.co/3fZu4E06rz pic.twitter.com/e220koozLO
— CNN (@CNN) January 9, 2018
Many say it was an Obama-style speech that sounded presidential. What is more, multiple sources wrote that Oprah was “actively” mulling the idea about running against Trump. She has remained silent on the issue, but many say the speech spoke volumes.
Social and political circles are weighing in on the possibility that Winfrey would challenge Trump. On Tuesday, Gayle King, Oprah Winfrey’s best friend of many years, tried to calm the rumors about the former talk show host. She said Oprah is “intrigued” by the possibility of running against Trump in 2020. And while King doesn’t personally believe Winfrey will launch a presidential bid, she understands that people have the right to change their minds.
“I don’t think at this point that she is considering it, but I don’t think she is actively thinking about running against Trump at this time,” King said during a CBS This Morning segment.
During a live CNN segment, host Brooke Baldwin said that King had an opportunity to “shut down” the possibility that Winfrey would launch a challenge against Donald Trump, “but she didn’t.” Baldwin said that due to the fact that King did not definitively close the issue, it left the doors open about a possible Donald Trump versus Oprah Winfrey 2020 contest for president.
