Oprah Winfrey told a class of graduating seniors at the University of Southern California (USC) on Friday that they need to wake up and fight the "hysteria" gripping politics across the U.S. today.
In her roughly 20-minute address to Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism students, Winfrey warned of the dangers of fighting "hysteria with more hysteria" in the face of tough national issues such as gun violence and racism.
“This moment in time, this is your time to rise," Winfrey said. "Even though you can’t go anywhere — you can’t stand in line at Starbucks, you can’t go to a party, you can’t go anywhere without everyone talking about how bad things are, how terrible it is."
"And this is what I know: The problem is everybody is meeting hysteria with more hysteria, and then we just are all becoming hysterical, and it’s getting worse."
The talk show host, who was floated as a possible presidential contender after an emotional speech at the Golden Globes last year, referenced former first lady Michelle Obama's famous "when they go low, we go high" quote, urging students to use their voices at the polls in November and beyond.
"If they go low — thank you, Michelle Obama — we go to the polls," Winfrey said. "People died for that right. I think about it every time I cast a vote, so don’t let their sacrifice be in vain."
“The rumors from my last big speech have finally died down," she added, referencing the media frenzy caused by her Golden Globes remarks in support of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. "Vote! Pay attention to the people who claim to represent you and your values.”
Winfrey has denied rumors of a 2020 presidential bid, saying that she doesn't want to run and calling political office not in her character.
Still, President Trump went after the popular host on Twitter, calling her “very insecure” and saying that he hopes “Oprah runs so she can be exposed and defeated just like all of the others!”