Media

Gayle King on Oprah White House bid: ‘I do think she’s intrigued’

Gayle King said early Tuesday that she thinks her friend Oprah Winfrey is “intrigued” by the idea of running for president in 2020.

“I absolutely don’t think that her position has changed,” King said on “CBS This Morning,” a show she co-hosts, when asked if Winfrey was considering a presidential run.

“I do think she’s intrigued by the idea. I do think that. I also know that after years of watching the Oprah show, you always have the right to change your mind.”

{mosads}King said she doesn’t think at this point that Winfrey is “actually considering it.”

Still, she added that Winfrey “loves this country and would like to be of service in some way.”

Speculation has been swirling over whether Winfrey could launch a presidential bid.

Talk of a potential campaign ramped up Sunday night after she delivered an emotional speech at the Golden Globes about sexual harassment victims.

In an interview after the show, Winfrey said she has no plans to run for president.

CNN reported Monday that two of Winfrey’s close friends told the network she is “actively thinking” about a run.

King also said on Tuesday that Winfrey’s partner, Stedman Graham, misinterpreted a question about a possible White House bid.

“Stedman says that he thought the reporter said to him ‘Would she make a good president?’ And he said ‘Absolutely she would.’ That’s how he interpreted the question, because this is the thing — Stedman would never so cavalierly say absolutely she would do it. It’s up to the people. He would never do that,” King said.

— This report was updated at 8:28 a.m.