Los Angeles – Oprah For President? Fans Urge White House Run After Speech

Los Angeles – Oprah Winfrey fans lit up Twitter on Monday with calls for her to run for U.S. president after the entertainment star gave an inspiring “new day” speech at an awards show in support of those who have exposed misconduct in Hollywood and beyond.

A surge of tweets carrying “#Oprahforpresident” and “#Oprah2020” hashtags followed her speech at the Golden Globes, where Winfrey became the first black woman to receive a lifetime achievement award on Sunday.

Winfrey, an actress, movie and television producer, and chief executive of her OWN cable channel, is actively thinking about a run, CNN reported on Monday, citing two of her close friends. CNN did not name the friends, who it said had spoken on condition of anonymity.

At least one emphasized that Winfrey had made no firm decision on a run.

Sunday’s award ceremony honored Winfrey, 63, as a role model for women and a person who has promoted strong female characters.

“In a 9 minute speech, @Oprah was more presidential than the current occupant of the White House has been for an entire year,” wrote Khary Penebaker, a member of the Democratic National Committee, on Twitter, referring to Republican President Donald Trump.

“That speech was everything. #timesup #oprahforpresident,” tweeted Boston television personality Cassy Arsenault in one of many calls for Winfrey to run in the next U.S. presidential election, in November 2020.

Trump also powered his successful 2016 campaign on the back of his celebrity reputation from reality TV show “The Apprentice,” as well as long-cultivated attention in New York newspapers.

In recent years, Winfrey has lent her star power to endorse Democratic presidential candidates: Barack Obama when he was seeking to become the first black U.S. president in 2008 and Hillary Clinton in her campaign against Trump in 2016.

In the past, Winfrey has said she is not interested in running for president, for example saying in a CBS interview in October when asked about the 2020 presidential election that, “There will be no running for office of any kind for me.”

However, the Los Angeles Times quoted Stedman Graham, Winfrey’s longtime partner in business and life, as saying on Sunday that “It’s up to the people … She would absolutely do it.”