The 2020 U.S. presidential election could be billionaire versus billionaire if Oprah Winfrey keeps mulling over recent comments she made on Bloomberg Television.
A Dec. 12 appearance on “The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations” that aired Wednesday shows Ms. Winfrey opening the door to a White House run.
The media mogul offered a sly smile and an applause-worthy response when asked if she has considered “breaking the glass ceiling” since Democrat Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential bid.
“I actually never thought that that was — I never considered the question, even a possibility,” the billionaire said. “I thought, ’Oh, gee, I don’t have experience. I don’t know enough. I don’t.’ And now I’m thinking, ’Oh! Oh!’ “
The talk-show host and actress, who has an estimated net worth of $2.9 billion, smiled as the crowd began to clap and cheer.
Ms. Winfrey did not wade into U.S. politics in 2016 nearly as often as she did during former President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns.
She offered tepid support for Mrs. Clinton in October on her network OWN, telling a “T.D. Jakes Show” audience that it was not necessary to “like” the candidate.
“I hear this all the time,” Ms. Winfrey said on an episode that aired Oct. 27, 2016. “You get into conversations — and there’s not a person in this room who hasn’t been in this same conversation — where people say, ’I just don’t know if I like her.’ She’s not coming over to your house! You don’t have to like her. You don’t have to like her. Do you like this country?”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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