Former talk show host Oprah Winfrey told the audience at a Bloomberg Television event that Donald Trump has inspired her to consider running for office.
The billionaire media mogul, who has exercised her influence in everything from self-help to literature, says that previously she had thought she lacked the necessary experience to lead the country, but that’s since changed.
“Oh gee I don’t have the experience,” Winfrey said. “I don’t know enough. And now I’m thinking, ‘Oh? Oh!'”
Its not clear how serious Oprah really is, but the Democrats are certainly looking to the sports and entertainment worlds for potential 2020 Presidential candidates (Heat Street has previously suggested that their best bet is Beyonce). And Oprah, a dyed-in-the-wool Dem herself, has been instrumental in a number of campaigns.
In 2016, Winfrey begrudgingly endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for President, telling a different television audience, “she’s not coming over to your house — you don’t have to like her,” but that she was the “only choice.” Winfrey went on to bundle several hundred thousand for Clinton in her bid for the White House.
Winfrey really made her mark on politics during President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 Presidential campaigns, however. Her influence – and a subsequent interview with the then-junior Senator from Illinois – had such a wide impact that it was dubbed the “Oprah effect,” and may have been responsible for more than a million new voters for Obama’s campaign.
She also held fundraisers for Obama at her California home, building several million dollars.
She’s also become a covert political force since Donald Trump took office, supplying Trump’s Democratic opposition with 30-year old Oprah Winfrey Show tapes of former Labor Secretary nominee Andy Pudzer’s wife, revealing a contentious divorce proceeding with his first wife, and detailing allegations of physical assault. Pudzer’s wife eventually retracted the allegations.
Oprah isn’t the only unconventional candidate looking to enter the 2020 race, either. Disney CEO Bob Iger says that he’s considering throwing his own hat into the ring. He’s even sought out the advice of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, on how to translate his corporate know-how into political success.
Iger is set to retire from Disney in 2018 when his contract expires, but has said that he may stay on for another term. Like Oprah, he’s well connected within the Democratic Party and has been a generous donor to both California and national political campaigns.
