'It's up to the people'

A representative for Winfrey did not reply to a request on Monday for comment. But Winfrey's longtime partner, Stedman Graham, told the Los Angeles Times that "it's up to the people" whether she will be president, adding: "She would absolutely do it."

But fevered speculation only escalated. "Oprah for president? She's got my vote," tweeted pop superstar Lady Gaga.

Winfrey, 64, has become a cultural phenomenon over the past 30-plus years, born into a poor home in Mississippi but breaking through as a television news and talk show personality in the 1980s. Over 30 years, she became the face of television talk shows, starred and produced feature films, and began her own network.

Trump himself has lavished praise on Winfrey over the years, including in 2015, when he said that he would consider her as a running mate on his Republican ticket. "I like Oprah," Trump told ABC News in June 2015. "I think Oprah would be great. I'd love to have Oprah. I think we'd win easily, actually."

AP - AFP