There have been several rumors regarding who’s next in line to be the President of The United States…Jay-Z, Kanye West and now Oprah Winfrey.
Known for being a billionaire along with hosting her own international talk show, she is admired by many all over the world. Winfrey is said to be one of the most influential and powerful women in the world.
Being that she’s good with America, does she have what it takes to be the next president of The United States?
“I think as a society, we are losing sight on what a president is and how he/she represents our country. Money, power and social status should ne factors that determine our world leader. As a world leader, I think you need to have a political education along with experience. The presidential election is not meant to be a popularity contest amongst America’s ‘most influential’, but a chance for citizens to determine the most competent, human leader who shares the views and actions of America,” said senior WPU basketball member and psychology major, DeJah Cheatham.
Oprah Gail Winfrey, who just recently had a birthday on Jan. 29, is 64 years old and America’s most watched host on television worldwide!
While this presidential rumor began from a drastic speech given at this year’s Golden Globe Awards, it was said that her speech addressed the issue on sexual harassment which led to a round of applause and a standing ovation causing the hashtag #Oprah2020 to break the internet.
Growing up after completing high school, she ran through numerous jobs from being a reporter to anchoring a morning talk show. Moving to Chicago, she hosted “A.M Chicago” and years later thus the Oprah Winfrey Show came about due to the dramatic increase in ratings.
Throughout the years she has managed to make herself stand out by winning multiple awards for her talk show, launching her own magazine, along with her own radio show on XM Satellite radio.
Aside from Oprah’s lifetime achievements, she also stepped out of the spotlight to help others in need; she is ranked among the 50 most generous Americans.
When it comes to charity, Oprah has her own foundations including: The Angel Network, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation and The Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation. Throughout the years, she has donated millions of dollars in which most goes to her own charities.
Other ways she has helped out within the community was during one of her shows, 300 of her audience members received $1000 each and had the opportunity to donate the money to the charity of their choice.
She also donates to other charities such as the Clinton Foundation which helps with the treatment of HIV and AIDS, Project Cuddle and Free The Children; she has even auctioned off some of her cars for charity!
Providing background on Oprah Winfrey and her lifetime achievements and how she’s given back to the community, if one was to run for president they should at least have some sort of political background right?
While it is not said that she has any sort-of political background, she has briefly discussed some of her political beliefs with the public: She is in support of the LGBT community and believes that God accepts all and she is in support of providing citizenship to those who are undocumented immigrants.
One other issue that has been an emotional roller coaster for America is the gender wage gap. For Oprah, she personally took a stand on this issue when she found out her female staff wasn’t being compensated accordingly; they were being paid way less than her male staff members.
Taking the matter into her own hands, she threatened to “sit down” from being a talk show host until the matter was resolved. Successful for taking a stand, her female staff was compensated immediately.
According to junior WPU basketball member and business major, Tenae McKinzie, “All through her TV career, she’s helped a lot of people and has done many positive things for the community. I believe at this point, if Trump can be President, Oprah is more than qualified. Also, it would be a first to have an African American women in office!”
Should we already be using the hashtag #Oprah2020?
