Oprah’s Golden Globes Speech Was Presidential As Hell – So Will She Run?

At the beginning of last night’s Golden Globes, host Seth Meyers jokingly jabbed at Oprah Winfrey about considering a presidential run, as his past comments had apparently inspired our current president to join the race. What Meyers likely did not anticipate, however, was that Winfrey would go on to give an incredibly presidential speech before the night was over – and would have people wondering if this hypothetical run might become a reality. The time was seemingly up on beating around the bush during the proceedings, as woman after woman dressed in black took the stage and tackled Hollywood’s sexual harassment problem head-on, but perhaps none were as riveting as Winfrey’s Cecil B. DeMille Award acceptance speech, which went on for some 9 minutes and brought the room to its feet.

After touching on high points in her career and thanking the people close to her, there was a noticeable shift in Winfrey’s speech. She spoke about valuing the press, and the vital importance of speaking one’s truth. “I’m especially proud and inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories,” she said. “Each of us in this room are celebrated because of the stories that we tell, and this year we became the story.” Winfrey then acknowledged the recent death of Recy Taylor, a black woman whose brutal 1944 rape led to an outpouring of activism – even if she never got justice. “She lived as we all have lived, too many years in a culture broken by brutally powerful men,” said Winfrey. “For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up.”

As Winfrey’s speech came to a close, she shifted her focus to this current point in time and where we go from here – and reached presidential heights in the process:

“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.”

Unsurprisingly, Winfrey’s words were met with a standing ovation – there was clearly an electricity in the room, one sparked by her confident, powerful words, her strong demeanor, her unwavering conviction. It didn’t take long for celebrities and people watching at home to notice just how impressive this speech was – and that’s when the Oprah Winfrey for President trend took flight.

So what’s the word from the woman herself? Questioned at the Globes, Winfrey told the LA Times “I’m just glad I got through the speech…Okay!” Her longtime partner Stedman Graham added that “it’s up to the people” and “she would absolutely do it.” When asked backstage by Bloomberg if she planned to run, however, Winfrey replied “I don’t… I don’t,” but sources tell CNN’s Brian Stelter that she’s “actively thinking” about making a run for the Democratic nomination.

Whether or not #Oprah2020 will actually become a reality remains to be seen, but at this point, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched for a television star/billionaire to be elected to the highest office in the land.