let us choose let us choose truth let us choose honor and let us choose Joy because that's the best of America but more than anything else let us choose Freedom why because that's the best of America we're all Americans and together let's all choose Kamala haris you probably heard Oprah Winfrey end her speech that way when she spoke on behalf of kamla Harris at the 2024 democratic convention at the United Center in Chicago and you might have also heard Oprah Winfrey introduce Michelle Obama this way during the former first ladyes 2018 book tour at the same United Center in Chicago she is your hometown girl from the south side of Chicago welcome [Music] Michelle both clips of Oprah Winfrey boosting Democrats both from the same building in Chicago and both sound a bit like that time Oprah Winfrey yelled you get a car you get a car and you get a car are well now here's something for you you get a podcast and you get a podcast and you get a podcast because this episode of C- spans the weekly is all about Oprah Winfrey and politics well since it's Oprah we might as well start at the top at an award ceremony a Nobel Prize perhaps well not that high let's try one step down how about a presidential medal of freedom from November 20th 2013 in the East room of the White House here's President Barack Obama early in Oprah Winfrey's career her boss has told her she should change her name to Susie I have to pause here to say I got the same advice oh they didn't say I should be named Susie but they suggested I should change my name people can relate to Suzie that's what they said it turned out surprisingly that people could relate to alpra just fine in more than 4,500 episodes of her show her message was always you can you can do and you can be and you can grow and it can be better and she was living proof rising from childhood of poverty and abuse to the Pinnacle of the entertainment universe but even with 40 emys the distinction of of being the first black female billionaire Oprah's greatest strength has always been her ability to help us discover the best in ourselves Michelle and I count ourselves among her many devoted fans and friends as one of those fans wrote I didn't know I had a light in me until Oprah told me it was there what a great gift it wasn't the first time oper Winfrey shared a stage with Barack Obama there was that time she endorsed him for president December 8th 2007 De Moine Iowa 18,000 people and Oprah's first time publicly endorsing a presidential candidate I have found the answer it is the same question that our nation is asking are you the one are you the one I'm here to tell you Iowa he is the one he is the one Barack Obama and another appearance on behalf of Barack Obama February 3rd 2008 introducing Michelle Obama at UCLA no one knows more about the character the heart or the intention of Barack Obama than the woman who agreed to take this journey with him who through her own courage and her own sacrifice and dedication to public service has already shown us that she's going to make some kind of tremendous first lady of this nation ladies and gentlemen Michelle [Applause] Obama 10 years later Oprah Winfrey returned to the political scene November 1st 2018 in Georgia campaigning for Democratic governor candidate sty Abrams the appearance came during a boom of speculation about Oprah Winfrey herself wanting to run for political office and I want to make it very clear to all the Press everybody I'm not here because I'm making some grand stand because I'm thinking about running myself I don't want to run okay I'm not trying to test any Waters don't want to go in those water I'm here today because of Stacy Abrams and I'm here today and I'm here today because of the men and because of the women who were lynched who were humiliated who were discriminated against who were suppressed who were repressed and oppressed for the right for the equality at the polls and I want you you to know that their blood has seeped into my DNA and I refuse to let their sacrifices be in vain I refuse Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp beat Stacy Abrams in the 2018 Georgia governor race if Stacy Abrams had won she would have become America's first black female governor but in 2022 in Maryland West Moore won he became Maryland's first African-American governor and the third African-American person elected as governor of any US state and among the speakers at Governor Moore's January 18th 2023 Inauguration in fact speaking just before his inaugural address Oprah Winfrey Wes Moore appeared on her show in 2010 whoa hello Marland I can tell you it is such a joy a joy to be here on this day and what a joy to be back here in Maryland I'm back I have to say I was just 22 years old when I first came to Maryland I was starting a new job as a co-anchor of the six o'clock news on wjztv and I Left My Home In Nashville and I drove myself here in an Oldsmobile cutless to Baltimore I moved into the third floor at 10109 windream Drive Colombia Maryland which at the time was considered this new model City I was so excited living away from home for the first time from my family for the very first first time and as I walked around the city of Baltimore that first week I saw the strangest thing their promo campaign was my face on billboards and my face on the backs of buses my face advertising the six o'clock news with Jerry Turner remember Jerry Turner and a question on the Billboards and the buses said what is and Oprah honestly I didn't really know the answer to that myself when I moved to Maryland I had no idea really who I was or what an Oprah was but I will tell you something Maryland is where I figured it out West Moore began his inaugural dress with an impression of how Oprah began her remarks hello maryn and a historical footnote to Oprah Winfrey and West Moore speaking back toback at the 2023 Maryland governor inauguration on August 21st 2024 day three of the democratic convention in Chicago it was the exact same speaking order Oprah Winfrey followed immediately by West Moore okay now how about Oprah Winfrey and Republicans well let's go back to September 23rd 2001 a prayer service in Yankee Stadium 12 days after the terror attacks of 911 Oprah Winfrey was the MC for the massive event and among the speakers she introduced Rudy Giuliani I know you want to hear from him he's the man of the hour a man whose extraordinary Grace Under Pressure and the days since this devastating attack has led him to be called America's mayor he's the mayor of New York City ladies and gentlemen Rudy Giuliani [Applause] at this point in our Oprah Winfrey and politics podcast we probably should talk about and hear from Donald Trump presidential historian tevy Troy recently wrote in the Boston Globe that Oprah Winfrey avoided politics completely in the first few Decades of her show she did however host Donald Trump on a 1988 show in which he speculated about running for president Trump was not yet a political figure and went on the show as a businessman in author of a bestselling Memoir 1987's the art of the deal in the interview Trump said things that one could imagine him still saying today including that he was tired of seeing what's happening with this country how we're really making other people live like kings and we're not as Trump was not a candidate at the time the interview did not technically violate her no politics dance but now both are involved in politics so here's Donald Trump November 4th 2018 Mak Georgia campaigning for governor candidate Brian temp so Oprah and Oprah's been down to maralago and honestly we did until I ran for office we were actually we did very well we had a good relationship and I like Oprah but you know what you don't know Oprah when she ended her show had her five most important people I assume her last week you remember the last week well I was on her full show on the last week I think they're trying to burn the tape are they trying to burn the but Oprah was here to uh endorse Stacy and I'm here to endorse Brian and you know what I hope you're going to listen to my Endo three days later president Trump was back in the White House a press conference to discuss the 2018 election results one I was tempted to ask you why you like opra so much but I I think I'll go on to the question that uh why do I like Oprah what kind of a question is it yeah I'm just asking just curious but the real question a comedian here the real question is I do like Oprah by the way I do she was a a person I knew well came to my place in Palm Beach often and I have a lot of respect for her unfortunately she didn't do the trick Donald Trump even joined in speculation that Oprah Winfrey might enter the Democratic presidential primary in 2020 here he is March 10th 2018 Moon Township Pennsylvania oh I'd love Oprah to win I'd love to beat Oprah I know her weakness no no I know her weakness I I know her you know I know her very well I was on her last show or one of the last I guess the last week she had Donald Trump and Donald Trump's family my my my we've come down a long way haven't we I'm now president and probably you know but but think of it I know our weakness wouldn't we love to run against Oprah I would love it I would love it that would be a painful experience for her a reporter even asked president Trump about the prospect of an Oprah Winfrey candidate following a January 9th 2018 meeting at the White House with a bipartisan group of congressional leaders talking about immigration policy yeah I'll be Oprah would be a lot of fun I know her very well you know I did one of her last shows she had Donald Trump this before politics her last week and she had Donald Trump and my family was very nice no I like Oprah I don't think she's going to run I don't think she's going to run I know her very well finally an opr mention showed up in one of the least likely but most famous speeches of the Trump presidency his remarks at the rally near the White House to protest the results of the Electoral College just before the riot at the US capital January 6 2021 and then I had to beat Stacy Abrams with this guy Brian Kemp I had to beat Stacy Abrams and I had to beat Oprah used to be a friend of mine you know I was on her last show her last week she picked the five outstanding people I don't think she thinks that anymore once I ran for president I didn't notice there were too many calls coming in from Oprah believe it or not you used to like me but I was one of the five outstanding people and I had a campaign against Michelle Obama and Barack Hussein Obama against Stacey and I had Brian Kemp and now a bonus clip we cited earlier presidential historian tevy Troy's article about oah Winfrey in politics Dr Troy was on a recent episode of the cpan podcast booknotes plus he was discussing his latest book the power and the money the Epic clashes between commanders and Chief and Titans of Industry the book includes a section on Oprah Winfrey why is Oprah Winfrey on your list yeah in the book I talk about how many of these CEOs uh develop platforms as a result of becoming famous becoming rich and Powerful Oprah used a platform to become rich and famous and powerful and then she creates this media Empire and I just thought it was interesting to look at her and she had a slightly different perspective and she also had the show the show is very powerful but for years she studiously avoid being involved in politics it's only in 2000 that she has both George W bush and Al Gore on the show and both of them see bumps in their favorability numbers after going on the show so we we start to realize the power of Oprah in the political world in the 21st century and then breaks president in 28 and endorses Barack Obama something she had never done before so Oprah has this media Empire and she occasionally deploys it uh to Great political effect good idea bad idea that she would somebody like Oprah or any of these folks uses their PL use their platforms to have influence it's hard to say whether it's a good idea or a bad idea in that there's benefits and there's costs to to doing it uh sometimes someone like Oprah felt that uh she felt such an affinity to Obama she thought it was so important that she would break this long-standing practice of not endorsing a candidate um but you know a lot of her viewers are Republicans and so there's potential costs to doing it want more Oprah Winfrey on cpan then search the C-SPAN video library among the videos you find the time she testified in Congress her first time on C-Span 1991 a senator hearing on a bill that would allow Child Care Centers to check the criminal record of respective employees by contacting a national computer network she was introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Democrat from Delaware Joe Biden morning what's the story you say good morning and no everybody says something I say good morning and no one responds I don't understand it usually it starts off that way and I say good morning everyone stands and claps when the senator from South Carolina walks in the room I want you to know Miss Winfrey before we begin and by the way welcome that uh this is a normal typical hearing for us um I just want you to know that there is a your presence here has had no impact on on on the press or anyone being here and uh we are so delighted that you're here we really are thank you and even more delighted quite frankly uh with your uh the intense interest you've shown in the subject that this committee and not just this committee but uh I believe uh every member of Congress and uh at the White House has a uh as well as the White House has a keen concern in by the way the hearing was held on November 12th 1991 it was one month after Senator Biden chaired the Judiciary committee's Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearing testifying then Anita Hill at the time Oprah Winfrey was closely associated with Chicago the Chicago Tribune reported this about her testimony despite tight budgets Chicago's three major Network owned stations will send staff to report for for the newscasts on Winfrey's appearance which falls during the Autumn ratings measuring period and independent WGN TV assigned a news crew stationed in the Capital Joe Biden was at the White House on December 20th 1993 when President Clinton signed the national child protection act so too Oprah went free first of all I thank you Oprah for a lifetime of being committed to the well-being of our children and forgiving child abuse issues such wonderful coverage on your show you wrote the original brewprint for this law and we're grateful becoming a tireless advocate for its passage lobbying members of Congress of both parties for more than two years and lobbying the president people occasionally do that too all of us but especially our children owe you their gratitude that's it for this episode of c-spans the weekly for now thanks for listening and happy searching [Music]