Oprah Winfrey 2020: She Is Reportedly ‘Thinking About Run’ Against Donald Trump As First Female POTUS
It all began as buzz, but CNN just broke the news that Oprah Winfrey is seriously mulling a White House challenge against the presumed incumbent, Donald Trump, in the 2020 elections.
On Sunday night at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, Oprah Winfrey received the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award — so named after the late American filmmaker — for her numerous contributions to the entertainment industry. She then gave a passionate acceptance speech about women who have felt “strong enough and empowered” enough to stand up to powerful sexual abusers in Hollywood and in the workplace, according to a CBS News report.
Winfrey, 63, reflected back to 1964 when she was in her family’s Milwaukee home watching the television at the precise moment Sidney Poitier became the first African-American male to win an Oscar for a lead role. Nearly 20 years later, he became the first African American to win the Cecil B. DeMille Award. Since then, only two black males have received the honor: Morgan Freeman in 2012 and Denzel Washington four years later. Oprah became the first black woman to receive the award, as seen on the Golden Globes site.
Winfrey’s speech focused on civil rights and sexual abuse of women by rich and powerful men in Hollywood and other employment sectors.
Brian Stelter first broke the story about Oprah Winfrey’s likely run for president in 2020, based on new information (via CNN Money); the Inquisitr reported earlier that her speech led to clamor about a potential run. While she has not arrived at a decision, Stelter said friends — and her “presidential” speech at the Golden Globes — suggest she is very serious about being a contender for the high office.
Oprah Winfrey is actively thinking about running for president in 2020, two of her close friends tell CNN https://t.co/uLto8W4qqe pic.twitter.com/cMvYJcmguE
— CNN International (@cnni) January 8, 2018
Stelter said two of Oprah Winfrey’s confidantes stated she is “actively thinking” about posing a challenge to Republican President Donald Trump. Since she supported Barack Obama during both his terms, it’s presumed that she would run as a Democrat. This marks the first time people close to her said she is currently considering the idea of running for president.
Chris Cillizza, a political journalist and CNN editor at large, recalled how Oprah in the past had dismissed any interest in politics. However, as Cillizza suggests, Donald Trump’s divisive leadership has changed the current environment and has compelled some people to consider coming off the sidelines to run for POTUS. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently said he wouldn’t “rule it out” when asked if he would run for president in the 2020 race, according to Vanity Fair.
The Oprah insiders, who asked not to be identified, said friends, for months, have been prodding Oprah to run for president in 2020. Legendary actress Meryl Streep said Oprah Winfrey’s speech marked a point of no return, and the general consensus is that she would pose a formidable threat to Donald Trump’s second term.
“I want her to run for president. I don’t think she had any intention [of declaring]. But now she doesn’t have a choice.”
Although Oprah Winfrey’s impassioned Golden Globes speech has many convinced that it was a prelude to a forthcoming announcement for 2020, the media mogul has not arrived at a decision — at least not one that her camp is prepared to report.
Donald Trump once said that Oprah Winfrey would be his top pick to be his vice president https://t.co/YcIjp3FFAH
— New York Post (@nypost) January 8, 2018
Check out a throwback video of Oprah Winfrey interviewing 42-year-old Donald Trump in 1988. Then, the real estate tycoon “teased” a possible future presidential bid.