Talk show host and billionaire businesswoman, Oprah Winfrey have stated that she is not interested in running for presidency come 2020. She said the job is not something that she has interest in.
Oprah Winfrey has been publicized in many quarters as a viable candidate for the Democratic Party and is believed that her celebrity brand could efficiently go up against Donald Trump’s allure.
But in a recent interview that she granted a United States magazine – InStyle Magazine – Oprah provided several reasons why it was not part of her plans to contend for the highest office in America.
Winfrey told the magazine that she had always felt confident and secure when it had to do with what she could do and what she couldn’t do. She stated that vying for the Number One office in the world has no appeal for her since she does not have what she called the “DNA” for it.
Although her comments were made public on Thursday, they were made before her award-winning Golden Globes speech earlier in January. It was perceived by many people to be a foreword to a bid for the presidential seat.
But the odds that Winfrey, 63, could become the next American president were reduced following her comments.
What sparked such speculations about the speech being the start of a journey to the White House in 2020 were friends of Winfrey who suggested that the talk show host was deliberating on a political campaign.
Her long-term partner, Stedman Graham, stated that Winfrey’s supposed move into U.S. politics is “up to the people,” but that she would consider doing it given the right nudge and encouragement. CNN quoted two of the talk show’s friends who said that Winfrey was seriously considering the switch to politics.
Winfrey is known to be a well-known supporter of the Democratic Party, primarily when she campaigned for both Barack Obama and also vouched for Hillary Clinton in the previous presidential elections.
As these rumors about Winfrey’s alleged or potential foray into politics continued to circulate, political experts showed their delight at the likelihood of a Trump-Winfrey race for the White House, come 2020.
It would be a battle of two of America’s best-known TV titans when they are set against each other. Critics have made it known that such a clash would completely blur the lines between entertainment and politics.
The U.S. President, Mr Trump also gave an early warning of the denigration such an election battle would necessitate as he flippantly said that he could beat Oprah.
When Winfrey granted her interview, she leveled her disguised criticism at the United States president, who is an avid user of Twitter.
Winfrey said, “I try not to lean into the hysteria. I have heard a lot of Twitter chatter where people have said, ‘Where are you? You should be speaking up on these things!’ But it makes no sense to speak when you cannot be heard.
“One hundred and forty characters – that is how you want to make your mark in the world.”
It is not the first time, however, that Winfrey – a household name, thanks to her emotional interview style on her talk show – has dismissed a presidential bid.
Last June, she was quoted by The Hollywood Reporter as saying: “I will never run for public office. That’s a pretty definitive thing.”