Trump wants Oprah on his ticket

Newly minted Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump believes he has a way to guarantee that he’ll win the White House: Oprah Winfrey on the ticket.

“I think Oprah would be great. I’d love to have Oprah,” Trump told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an excerpt from Trump’s first interview after his Tuesday morning presidential announcement. 

“I think we’d win easily, actually.”

{mosads}Trump previously floated Winfrey, one of the most recognizable people in the world, as a potential running mate back in 1999, the last time he formed an exploratory committee for the presidency. When asked by Larry King on CNN if he has a vice presidential pick in mind, her name came to mind.

“I love Oprah. Oprah would always be my first choice,” he said back in 1999.

“If she’d do it, she’d be fantastic. I mean, she’s popular, she’s brilliant, she’s a wonderful woman. I mean, if she would ever do it. I don’t know that she would ever do it.”

The real estate magnate announced his entry into the Republican field after a long flirtation with politics. The outspoken and boisterous star of NBC’s “The Apprentice” delivered an almost hour-long speech that barely followed the script released to the media ahead of the event.

He bashed the Obama administration and painted himself as the only candidate with the negotiation skills to outsmart the country’s threats, military and economic.

Trump faces not only a long-shot bid, but also the perception that he’s not a serious candidate. Some Republicans have grumbled that his notoriety could allow him to finish in the top 10 of national polls by August, which would grant him a spot in the party’s first debate.

And the Democratic National Committee mocked Trump in a statement released just after his announcement that also needled former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who announced his bid on Monday.

“Today, Donald Trump became the second major Republican candidate to announce for president in two days,” DNC national press secretary Holly Shulman said.

“He adds some much-needed seriousness that has previously been lacking from the GOP field, and we look forward hearing more about his ideas for the nation.”