The Atlantic

What the Oprah Boomlet Means for Democrats

Pleas for the entertainer to run for president point to a split over whether to treat Donald Trump as a dangerous anomaly or a particularly extreme Republican.
Source: Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP

The revolution will perhaps be televised after all, with specials on OWN, and maybe a splashy spread in O, The Oprah Magazine, too.

The idea that Oprah might someday wish to become President Winfrey is not new, and her name has circulated at various times in the past, enough that by summer 2017, the impresario told The Hollywood Reporter, “I will never run for public office. That’s a pretty definitive thing.”

But how definitive? Sunday night, Oprah gave a moving speech while accepting a Golden Globe Award for lifetime achievement, speaking about women and especially women of color. The remarks won instant praise and pleas for a presidential run. “She would absolutely do. By Monday morning, Brian Stelter that Winfrey is “actively thinking” about running for president, and that confidants were encouraging her to run.

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