Hollywood heavyweight Steven Spielberg has thrown his support behind Oprah Winfrey should she make a bid for president in 2020.
Spielberg told the Guardian that Winfrey would be an "absolutely brilliant president."
"I think Oprah Winfrey would make an absolutely brilliant president," he said. "If she declares, I will back her."
Speculation Winfrey might run in 2020 was ignited after she delivered a well-received speech while accepting a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes on Sunday.
"She is crackerjack on the money on women’s issues, and I call her the ambassador of empathy. And our country could use a dose of empathy right now," Spielberg added.
Spielberg, who was in London promoting The Post, referenced Winfrey’s over 30 years of experience as a talk show host, and how she has cultivated different points of view. When asked if her experience has given her the skills to be president, the award-winning director and producer gave an indirect answer and referenced President Donald Trump.
"She’s been on the air for 35 years with all kinds of social outreach, building bridges between different ideologies and different points of view," Spielberg said.
"Does our current president have the skill set to be president?" he added.
In further defense of Oprah's experience, Spielberg referred to the prior experience of former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, saying "she’ll learn on the job," and he’d rather have "Winfrey than a career politician."
"I think she’ll learn on the job the same way Bill Clinton learned – a former governor of Arkansas – or Barack Obama, a junior senator, learned on the job. I’d much rather go for someone like Oprah Winfrey than a career politician," Spielberg said.
"I think we need a mindful, empathetic human being in the White House who understands people and puts people ahead of their own ideas of power and self-aggrandisement – and I think Oprah has already proved her capacity for selflessness," he added.
Asked if he was serious about endorsing a TV Celebrity instead of a candidate with governing experience, Spielberg said he wants "the next president to be a president of the people."