Key takeaways from Winfrey’s speech at DNC-
Unity vs division
“There are people who want you to see our country as a nation of ‘us against them’ — people who want to scare you, who want to rule you,” Winfrey said.”People who’d have you believe that books are dangerous and assault rifles are safe, that there’s a right way to worship and a wrong way to love. People who seek first to divide and then to conquer. But here’s the thing — when we stand together, it is impossible to conquer us.”
Endorsement of Harris and Walz
Winfrey urged independents and undecided voters to support Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. “Common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give us decency and respect. They’re the ones that give it to us,” she said.
“Let us choose loyalty to the Constitution over loyalty to any individual, because that’s the best of America. And let us choose optimism over cynicism, because that’s the best of America. And let us choose inclusion over retribution. Let us choose common sense over nonsense, because that’s the best of America. And let us choose the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return to yesterday. But more than anything else, let us choose freedom. Why? Because that’s the best of America.”
A call for compassion
Winfrey extended her message of unity with a poignant metaphor: “When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion, we don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No. We just try to do the best we can to save them.” She added with a reference to comments made by Vance in 2021, “And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out too.”
Critique of Trump’s remarks
Turning her attention to Donald Trump, Winfrey took aim at his recent statements. “There’s a certain candidate that says, ‘if we just go to the polls this one time, that we’ll never have to do it again,’” she said. “Well, you know what, you’re looking at a registered independent who’s proud to vote again and again and again, because I’m an American, and that’s what Americans do.”
Emotional backstage interview
In a backstage interview with CBS Mornings, Winfrey became emotional as she shared her reasons for speaking out. “Because I really care about this country, and there couldn’t have been a life like mine, a career like mine, a success like mine, without a country like America,” she said. “Only in America could there be a me. And I feel that a lot of things are on the line, a lot of things are at stake.”
Winfrey’s political stance
Winfrey, who had been relatively reserved in her political endorsements until 2008, has supported Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden in past elections. Her close friend Gayle King noted that Winfrey had tried to stay out of politics but felt compelled to speak out given the current stakes.
Gayle King’s insight
“[She] hadn’t intended to be involved, to be honest with you,” King said. “She tries to stay out of the political fray, and I think now the thinking is, for her, she feels there’s a lot at stake and she just wants to — she has some things to say tonight.”