In a stunning revelation on Bloomberg Television this week, Oprah Winfrey said she is considering a run for US President in the 2020 Election.
After previously ruling out throwing her hat in the ring as recently as January this year, Oprah said that Donald Trump’s win – despite his lack of political experience – convinced her of her own credentials to run for the Oval Office.
“I never considered the question even a possibility,” she told host David Rubenstein when asked whether she might consider running for office.
“I just thought, ‘Oh… oh?'”
During the candid interview, Mr Rubenstein said that “it’s clear you don’t need government experience to be elected president of the United States”.
To which Oprah replied: “That’s what I thought. I thought, ‘Oh, gee, I don’t have the experience, I don’t know enough.’ And now I’m thinking, ‘Oh.'”
The 63-year-old multi-billionaire had backed Hillary Clinton during Ms Clinton’s 2016 Presidential bid. Oprah was also a staunch supporter of Barack Obama in 2008. In fact, a speech she made during his election run was said to have gained him more than a million extra votes.
Even Donald Trump tried to recruit Ms Winfrey as his running mate when he considered running for President back in 1999, and was recorded last year saying that he “would love to have Oprah” on his ticket.
It’s clear that Ms Winfrey is an American favourite. Her long-running talk show was one of the most-watched television shows in the country and she is one of the most significant influencers in US history. And the US has a history of electing celebrities into high-ranking government positions – Arnold Schwarzenegger, wrestler Jesse Ventura and Ronald Reagan are a few examples.
With speculation that Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg and rapper Kanye West could also make a run for the top spot, we may well be watching a 2020 US Election that rings more like a reality TV show – with viewer voting deciding the one of the most powerful leaders in the world.
Read more at The Independent
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