Oprah Winfrey leads Donald Trump by 10 points in hypothetical 2020 match-up: Rasmussen poll

This file photo taken on June 14, 2016 shows Oprah Winfrey speaks at the White House Summit on the United State of Women in Washington, DC. (Photo by AFP)

A new poll from conservative-leaning pollster Rasmussen shows that media proprietor, producer, and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey would beat President Donald Trump by 10 points in a hypothetical 2020 match-up. 

Forty-eight percent of the respondents said they would vote for Winfrey, while about 38 percent said they would vote to reelect Trump, and only 14 percent were undecided.

Some 76 percent of the Democrats said they would support Winfrey, as would 22 percent of Republicans and 44 percent of independents, while the president gets the support of 66 percent of Republicans, 12 percent of Democrats, and 38 percent of independents. 

About 1,000 likely voters participated in the Rasmussen poll in the two days after Winfrey’s Golden Globes speech, and the survey has a margin of error of three percentage points.

Trump said earlier in the week that he could beat Oprah in the 2020 presidential race, but does not think she will run. “Yeah, I'll beat Oprah. Oprah will be lots of fun,” he told reporters during a meeting with lawmakers on Tuesday. “I don’t think she’s going to run.”  

The White House also said that Trump would “welcome the challenge” to run against Winfrey.

Speculation about a 2020 White House bid by Winfrey blew up on social media and news outlets after her moving speech at the Golden Globes awards show on Sunday night, which touched on female and black empowerment, her roots in poverty and support of those who speak up about sexual harassment and racial justice.

"I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon! And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say "me too" again!" she said in the speech.

Gayle King, a close friend with Winfrey, said on “CBS This Morning” earlier Tuesday that Winfrey finds the idea “intriguing” but added that she doesn’t believe Winfrey is actually considering it right now. "I don't think at this point she is actually considering it" King said. "I also know, after years of watching the Oprah show, you always have the right to change your mind."

Winfrey, an African-American woman who survived rape and grew up in poverty, is a self-made billionaire capable of emotionally connecting with ordinary Americans through the media. Winfrey threw her weight behind US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, supporting Clinton in the battle against Trump.

New York Post challenged the idea of another celebrity president with a front page article reading, "NOPRAH! Do we really need another celebrity president?” and a critique in Slate on Monday was headlined “Oprah? Really?” and bemoaned the “impossibly boring” current crop of major political figures, making people more likely to vote for celebrities like Trump or Winfrey.

Another poll by the Quinnipiac University released on Wednesday, showed that a majority of respondents believe President Trump is not level-headed or fit for office. 

Sixty-nine percent of the respondents said Trump is not level-headed, and only 28 percent said he is. Sixty-five percent of Republicans said he is level-headed, with 32 percent disagreeing, while a massive 93 percent of Democrats said he is not. 

The percentage of people who believe Trump is intelligent, 53 percent, nearly matches the lowest number since his inauguration.

The president started the new year with tweets claiming that he is "like, very smart" and a "very stable genius," defending himself against claims in the new book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," which paints a picture of a reckless commander in chief at the helm of the country.

Trump now has the lowest approval ratings of any modern president at this point in his presidency, despite a thriving economy and record stock market numbers.