No, Oprah Is 'Not Running' for President In 2020 (Exclusive)

Oprah Winfrey insists she’s “not running” for president.

Winfrey TV set off a media firestorm Friday after tweeting a New York Post article that proclaimed her as “Democrats’ best hope” in 2020.

“She was just thanking the reporter, she is not running for office,” a publicist for Winfrey told TheWrap.

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In his op-ed, Post columnist John Podhoretz praised Winfrey’s “60 Minutes” piece last Sunday and how she handled a heated debate between Michigan voters on both sides of aisle.

“Listening, asking, speaking without judgment, trying to find common ground — it was a superb performance by Oprah, and I use the word ‘performance’ advisedly,” Podhoretz wrote. “She was dazzling in exactly the way that Oprah could always be dazzling, finding a tone appropriate for the moment without being heavy-handed.”

On Thursday afternoon, Winfrey retweeted the story to her close to 40 million followers, along with a message to its author: “Thanks for your VOTE of confidence!”

@jpodhoretz Thanks for your VOTE of confidence!Democrats’ best hope for 2020: Oprah | New York Post https://t.co/tvt82v8cMH

— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) September 28, 2017

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This is far from the first time the media mogul has been pegged by pundits as an aspiring presidential candidate — and far from the first time she has demurred when confronted with rumors of White House ambitions.

“Two years ago I would have laughed and said this is ridiculous,” Jack Pitney, professor of government at California’s Claremont McKenna College, told TheWrap of the notion of Winfrey running for office. “But now we have a reality show celebrity in the White House, why not? Oprah Winfrey is a billionaire, too. As I understand the difference, she actually earned it.”

If she does eventually make a go of it, a recent Public Policy Polling survey offers some promising stats, finding that Oprah could become one of American voters’ favorite things: 47 percent of Americans say they’d pull the lever for Oprah, while just 40 percent would do so for Trump. Her favorables are also quite high. PPP found that 49 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of Winfrey, while 33 percent said they had an unfavorable opinion.

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“She is in the unique position of having a lot of money, a lot of rich friends and a massive following of people who would be glad to write her some small checks,” Pintey said. “And that makes for a powerful combo.”

Another plus: Oprah is positioned to self-fund her entire campaign. Forbes estimates her net worth at roughly $3 billion. Considering Hillary Clinton spent roughly $1.4 billion on her campaign, Oprah could write herself the check and still have plenty to spare.

Not to mention, she’s already a household name.

“If you have the name and the recognition you don’t have to raise as much, ” Howie Mandel, a prominent Los Angeles-based Democratic bundler (and not the comedian), told TheWrap. “I don’t think she’d need to fundraise.”

20 Celebrities You Had No Idea Dropped Out of College, From Tom Hanks to Oprah (Photos)

Success doesn't always need a college degree. Here are 20 celebrities who ditched collegiate life to follow their ambitions.

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Ryan Seacrest

America's favorite broadcaster started out at the University of Georgia, but dropped out to move to California.

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Oprah Winfrey

Yeah, you'd better believe it. Tennessee State University dropout Oprah left before graduation to pursue broadcasting gigs she had already lined up.

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Ellen DeGeneres

Talk show sweetheart Ellen left the University of New Orleans early and held a string of odd-jobs before making her comedic debut.

Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
Tom Hanks

Hanks left Sacramento State University to intern at the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland, Ohio.

NBC
Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt went to school to be a journalist, but left the University of Missouri early to head to California.

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Jessica Biel

The actress left Tufts University to play the role of Erin in the 2003 remake of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

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Zooey Deschanel

Deschanel left Northwestern University before graduating to pursue acting full-time.

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Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller left UCLA, where he was studying film, to move back to New York to actually act.

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Matthew Morrison

The former "Glee" star left NYU's Tisch School of the Arts to perform in the 1998 Broadway production of "Footloose" (based on the film).

CBS
Ashton Kutcher

Kutcher was studying biochemical engineering at the University of Iowa, but he dropped out to pursue modeling and then acting.

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Lady Gaga

The pop star studied music at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, but then withdrew her sophomore year to focus more on her music career.

John Shearer/Getty Images
Madonna

The pop icon attended the University of Michigan on a dance scholarship, but dropped out her sophomore year when she left to Manhattan to further pursue a career in dance.

Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Amanda Seyfried

Seyfried enrolled at Fordham University in 2003, but after being offered her role in "Mean Girls," she chose not to attend.

Chris Pizzello-Pool/Getty Images
Kanye West

West attended both Chicago's American Academy of Art and Chicago State University--where he studied English--but at 20, he dropped out to make more time for his music work.

Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
Alicia Keys

At just 16-years-old, the singer left Columbia University for a music deal with Columbia Records.

Rich Fury/Getty Images
Jake Gyllenhaal

Like Keys, Gyllenhaal attended Columbia University, but left to completely focus on acting.

Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway dropped out of both Vassar and New York University, but shortly after, "The Princess Diaries," the movie for which she missed her first college semester, was released.

David Crotty/Getty Images
John Mayer

Mayer attended the Berklee College of Music, but left and moved to Atlanta with fellow musician Clay Cook. Together, they formed a two-man band, Lo-Fi Masters. A couple years after they split, Mayer released his debut album "Room for Squares."

Kevin Winter/Getty Images for LiveNation
Rachael Ray

Celebrity chef Ray went to Pace University to earn a degree in literature and communications, but soon dropped out. Shortly after, she was recruited to be a food buyer for a gourmet market in Albany.

John Lamparski/Getty Images for NYCWFF
Eddie Murphy

Comic legend Eddie Murphy dropped out of New York's Nassau Community College. Not long after, he landed a spot on the "Saturday Night Live" cast and became the show's breakout star.

Emma McIntyre/Getty Images