President Trump tweeted criticism of a “60 Minutes” panel discussion moderated by Oprah Winfrey that was broadcast Sunday night, slamming her questions to the politically divided group and expressing the hope that she runs against him in 2020.
After 11 p.m. ET Sunday, the president took to Twitter:
Winfrey was revisiting a panel of pro- and anti-Trump voters in Grand Rapids, Michigan she spoke with last fall.
She asked them about the president’s tax plan, passed at the end of the year, and about his reported reference to “sh*thole countries.”
“Who here believes that he made the comment about, quote, ‘sh*thole countries?”‘ she asked the group.
And after pointing out that “polls are showing that respect for the United States is eroding around the world,” Winfrey asked, “Do you care what the world thinks of the United States?”
She also inquired about whether panel members think Mr. Trump is fit for office.
“There have been some members of Congress, including Republicans, questioning his stability and fitness for office. What do you think of that, and do you believe he has the temperament to be president?”
Talk about Winfrey as a presidential candidate was recently reignited by her acceptance speech at the Golden Globe awards in January for the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. She is the first black woman to receive the honor.
Winfrey delivered a forceful speech about sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement, prompting three ovations from the crowd. By the time her address ended, viewers and the press were speculating about whether this was the beginning of a 2020 presidential bid.
But she told “60 Minutes” last week, “I am actually humbled by the fact that people think that I could be a leader of the free world, but it’s just not in my spirit,” adding, “It’s not in my DNA.”
After Winfrey’s Globes speech, the president said he doesn’t think she’ll run in 2020, but he’d win if she did.
“Can you beat Oprah?” a reporter asked.
“I’d beat Oprah,” the president said. “Oprah would be a lot of fun. I know her very well. … I like Oprah. I don’t think she’s going to run. I don’t think she’s going to run.”
The president also noted he has appeared on her show.
