Gayle King: Oprah 'Intrigued' by 2020 Race, Not 'Actively Considering' It

"CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King said Tuesday she thinks her best friend, Oprah Winfrey, is "intrigued by the idea" of challenging President Donald Trump for the White House in 2020, but she's not "actively considering" a campaign.

"I absolutely don't think that her position has changed," King said during the early morning program. "I don't. You know, I was up talking to her very late last night. I do think this though, guys. I do think she's intrigued by the idea."

King continued that she also knows after years of watching Winfrey's television show, "you always have a right to change your mind."

"I don't think at this point she is actually considering it," said King. "Listen, there are people who have said they want to be her campaign manager, who want to quit their jobs and campaign for her. She loves this country and would like to be of service in some way, but I don't think that she's actively considering it."

Speculation started growing about Winfrey's political ambitions after her speech at Sunday night's Golden Globe awards, and was spurred more when her longtime companion, Stedman Graham, told the Los Angeles Times that she would "absolutely" run, but the decision was "up to the people."

King, though, said Graham had not understood the reporter's question.

"Stedman says that he thought the reporter said to him 'Would she make a good president?' And he said, 'absolutely she would,'" said King. "Stedman would never so cavalierly say absolutely she would do it, it's up to the people. He would never do that."

Meanwhile, King said the Golden Globes producers had wanted Winfrey to cut her speech to about three minutes long. She insisted in keeping it at six minutes, and after applause was factored in, it timed out at nine minutes.

"I think the producers thought that was worth going late for," King said. "She wanted that moment to be more than women wearing black dresses of solidarity. She really did want to speak to young girls around the country."

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