FT COLUMN: The temptation of Oprah Winfrey
If Oprah Winfrey were to become president, it would seal America’s fate as a country that no longer takes politics seriously
It is easy to see why so many Americans are tempted. As her speech at the Golden Globes ceremony showed, Oprah Winfrey is everything that Donald Trump is not. Unlike Trump, Winfrey is a certified billionaire. She made her name by marketing empathy as opposed to saying "you’re fired". She donates to charitable causes rather than pretending to do so. And she is self-made while Trump was born in a feathered nest. But they share a disqualifying trait: they are celebrities with no experience in politics. If Winfrey is the answer to Trump, what was the question? I mean no disrespect to famous people. America invented the celebrity and nobody does it as well. But America also came up with modern democracy. The problem is that celebrity culture is taking over politics, which is a dead loss for governing. If politics were a popularity contest, Winfrey would deserve to win. Against Trump, she would merit a North Korean-style 100% turnout. But there is nothing in Winfrey’s background that woul...
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