After becoming the first black woman ever to win the Cecil B. DeMille Award on Sunday at the Golden Globes ceremony, Oprah Winfrey delivered a passionate speech on gender and racial equality while calling for the end of sexual harassment and assault. Since then, people have been eagerly discussing the possibility of a President Winfrey. As the chatter goes on, there is already "Oprah 2020" merchandise online to buy, in case you were interested.
The Hill reported that a search for "Oprah 2020" on Etsy will now give you actual results for merchandise. Whether it's a coffee mug with Winfrey printed on it, a vintage T-shirt with "Vote For Oprah" on the front, sweatshirts declaring "Oprah 2020," shirts that say "Oprah For President — Time's Up!" or pinback buttons for Winfrey as president, it looks like the online market for a possible Oprah presidency is up and alive. (You can also get USB-powered lights for Oprah 2020, pillows, caps, bumper stickers, silk scarves, and more.)
Although the merchandise may seem alluring to Winfrey fans, it's worth remembering one important note: The queen of talk shows probably won't be running for office in 2020, according to sources close to her. Winfrey's best friend, Gayle King, said that Winfrey is not planning to run for the position of America's president but she is "intrigued" by the idea nonetheless. On Tuesday, King said:
I was up talking to her very late last night. I do think she is intrigued by the idea. ... I don’t think at this point she’s actually considering it.
She added, "There are people saying they want to quit their jobs and be her campaign manager. She loves this country and would like to be of service in some way. But I don’t think she’s actively considering it at this time."
Journalists have tweeted about other sources that claim Winfrey told them she has no interest in running for president. While there are those who support the idea of a President Winfrey (including Lady Gaga), there are also those who oppose such a possibility. Ashley Feinberg of HuffPost wrote a piece arguing it was a bad idea that would fail spectacularly. On Twitter, the running sentiment against an Oprah presidency was that the White House didn't need any more TV stars. One Twitter user Emily Hagger wrote:
Oprah is not a politician. I love her as much as the next but putting a celebrity [or] TV star into office is what got [us] INTO THIS MESS. [Are] we just gonna make celebrities president from now on? Leave it to the people who actually know what they’re doing.
Winfrey's speech at the Golden Globes was widely lauded. In her address, she spoke of her own childhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and how she later on witnessed actor Sidney Poitier become the first black man to win the Cecil B. DeMille Award. She brought her audience's attention to the ongoing national reckoning with industry-wide sexual abuse and said:
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.
Regardless of the support or opposition to a future Oprah 2020 campaign, one thing is clear: Online businesses are highly aware of the ongoing interest in Oprah's potential presidential campaign — and they aren't shying away from profiting off that hype.
