U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would defeat popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey were she to run for president, but also said he didn’t believe she will run.
"Yeah, I'll beat Oprah," he told reporters in the Cabinet Room.
"Oprah will be a lot of fun," Trump added, noting that he knows Winfrey "very well".
"I did one of her last shows. She had Donald Trump -- this is before politics -- her last week and she had Donald Trump and my family, it was very nice," the president said.
He then added, however, "I like Oprah, I don't think she's going to run. I don't think she's going to run."
Speculation has been rampant that Winfrey might challenge Trump in 2020, particularly since her speech on the #MeToo movement at Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony.
Her friend, CBS "This Morning" co-anchor Gayle King, said Tuesday that Winfrey is "intrigued by the idea" of a presidential bid.
CNN noted that Trump has tweeted warm words for Winfrey many times before taking office, even saying, "I adore Oprah" in a 2012 tweet.
And in a 1999 interview with Larry King, he said she would be "always be my first choice" for a running mate.
"She's popular, she's brilliant, she's a wonderful woman," he said at the time. "It would be a pretty good ticket."
The president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, tweeted in support of Winfrey’s Golden Globes speech, describing it as “empowering and inspiring”.
Her tweet, however, was met with criticism from celebrity elites, most of whom supported Hillary Clinton for president.