Trump: 'I like Oprah. Oprah would be a lot of fun. I'll beat Oprah. I don't think she's gonna run.'

I'm pretty sure Oprah has no intention of making a presidential run. She has a good racket going, won't want to alienate half the country, and a shot at the White House is usually a mean, exhausting, and expensive slog. If I had to guess, she'll settle into a low-level kingmaker role, and leave the heavy lifting to someone else. I said this back when she was floated as a potential Trump running mate in 2015, said it again last week, and still believe it. Those closest to her may be sending mixed messages, but I suspect that has more to do with hangers-on wishing she would take them to Washington than it has to do with her intentions.

Trump: 'I'll beat Oprah. Oprah would be a lot of fun.' https://t.co/dhoEYXueEK pic.twitter.com/ZZgdslODOi

— POLITICO (@politico) January 9, 2018

I may end up being wrong, but I just don't think she'll go for it. Apparently, that's also how the President sees it. He doesn't think Oprah will jump in but, if she does, he's not particularly worried about it. The fact is, even if she did run, she's not the shoo-in that everyone likes to think. Could she win? Sure. However, she'll have to campaign, state her plans, sell them to the American people, and find support outside of left-wing strongholds. Once she starts doing that, she'll face all sorts of opposition she's never really had to face before - and she'll find herself in some of the same pickles that plagued Bernie and Hillary. This will, no doubt, come as a blow to the fine, unbiased, deletion-prone folks at NBC, who will be shocked to learn that there's a slight chance Oprah may not be "OUR future President."