WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump weighed in on speculation that Oprah Winfrey is considering a 2020 presidential run, telling reporters that he thinks he would beat her.
“I’ll beat Oprah. Oprah would be a lot of fun. I know her very well,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
He noted that he and his family were on one of the final episodes of her syndicated talk show.
“I like Oprah. I don’t think she’s going to run,” Trump added. He again said he knows Winfrey “very well,” before repeating that he didn’t think she would run.
Winfrey’s friend, “CBS This Morning” host Gayle King, said she spoke to the mogul on Monday night and she was “intrigued” by the idea of running, but doesn’t think that her position has changed. Winfrey has previously dismissed the idea of running for office.
The prospect of a Winfrey candidacy was met with enthusiasm among a number of Democrats, who see her as an inspirational response to the Trump presidency. But some experienced Democratic operatives tempered the talk by noting that many celebrity figures have dangled the prospect of running for office only to ultimately decide against it, given the rigor and scrutiny.
Trump had once cited Winfrey as his choice for a running mate when he was toying with running for the Reform Party presidential nomination for the 2000 election.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked of Winfrey at the White House press briefing. “I disagree very much on her policies. Is she a successful individual? Absolutely. But in terms of where she stands on a number of positions, I would find a lot of problems with that.”
Watch his comments below.
