Oprah 2020: A real possibility?

The passionate speech given by Oprah Winfrey during the Golden Globes has awakened in some Democratic activists the interest of including the renowned journalist in the 2020 US presidential election. And even though Winfrey has not had a political career, she has received several awards and has had political affiliations that position her as a feasible candidate for the presidency.

Winfrey was born IGNORE INTO a low-income family in Mississippi and, despite the social and racial obstacles she had to face, the celebrity became a world reference and a cultural icon in the last 30 years.

The 64-year-old activist, actress, philanthropist, producer, and businesswoman received the Cecil B. DeMille Award on Sunday, January 7th, and with an emphatic speech exhorted women who have denounced sexual harassment and transgressions and recalled that being of color and living under poverty are not impediments to achieving dreams.

As mentioned by Winfrey during her speech:

“In my career, what I've always tried my best to do, whether on television or through film, is to say something about how men and women really behave. To say how we experience shame, how we love and how we rage, how we fail, how we retreat, persevere and how we overcome. I've interviewed and portrayed people who've withstood some of the ugliest things life can throw at you, but the one quality all of them seem to share is an ability to maintain hope for a brighter morning, even during our darkest nights. So I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon! And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say ‘Me too’ again".

An undeniable political weight

Last September, Oprah Winfrey publicly rejected the idea of ​​running for presidency. However, she noted that the victory of Donald Trump made her rethink her statement. In 2007, Oprah supported the then presidential candidate Barack Obama in his nomination for the Democratic Party and many supporters, in return, wished to nominate her and showed support with buttons and shirts.

In 2010, Winfrey was honored by Barack Obama at the 33rd Annual Arts Celebration of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and three years later received the Freedom Medal bestowed by the US President.

Even Donald Trump once endorsed her for office. In 1999, the then businessman said during an interview that if Oprah presented herself as a presidential candidate "it would be fantastic", since “she’s really a great woman. She’s a terrific woman. She’s somebody that’s very special”. In 2015, Trump again praised the journalist saying that he could consider her as a partner in his Republican campaign: "I like Oprah, I think Oprah would be great, I would love to have her, I think we would easily win, in fact”, Trump stated to ABC News during interview.

However, after the recent speculation of Winfrey’s candidacy for 2020 elections, Donald Trump said that if he had to compete with her in the race to the White House, "I (Donald Trump) would surely win”.

Other celebrities with a political future

Winfrey is not the only celebrity who could have a future in US politics. Although it is perhaps one of the candidates that could be taken more seriously, there are other public figures who have expressed their intention to run for public office.

Dwyne Johnson 'The Rock'

The actor and also wrestling star mentioned in 2016 a potential presidential race; in 2017, he indicated that running for the presidency would be "a real possibility".

Kanye West

In 2015, the singer went viral due to his speech during the MTV Video Music Awards, where he mentioned his intention to participate as a US presidency candidate in 2020. West never confirmed whether he was simply joking or had real intentions, but his followers responded with hashtags like #Yeezy2020 and #Yeezy2024, supporting the initiative.

Caitlyn Jenner

In July, the former Olympic medalist expressed interest in participating as a "political activist" and said she would be willing to start a career in Senate soon.

Latin American Post | Krishna Jaramillo 

Copy edited by Susana Cicchetto