Just one week after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry went public with steamy allegations against the British royal family, new reports suggest that Markle could use notoriety from her interview with Oprah Winfrey to springboard a presidential campaign.
What are the details?
The Daily Mail reported Sunday that a senior figure in the Labour Party — whom the paper described as “a veteran of Tony Blair’s Downing Street administration with strong links to Washington” — said Markle is networking with top Democrats with the aim of building a future presidential campaign and fundraising apparatus.
“The Blairite, internationalist and Democratic party networks are buzzing with talk about Meghan’s political ambitions and potential backers,” the source said.
The source further explained that Markle is looking to run as early as 2024, citing the fact that President Joe Biden will be 82 years old by then, according to the Daily Mail.
However, Markle would have to battle Democratic Party stars like Vice President Kamala Harris if she wants a legitimate shot at the White House.
Interestingly, if Markle managed to ascend to the White House in 2024, she would become the first woman to become president. Hillary Clinton was the first presidential nominee of a major political party in 2016, but she lost to Donald Trump.
What happened before?
After Markle and Prince Harry urged Americans to “reject hate speech” and participate in the 2020 election, Vanity Fair reported last year that Markle has political ambitions that include the White House.
“One of the reasons she was so keen not to give up her American citizenship was so she had the option to go into politics. I think if Meghan and Harry ever gave up their titles she would seriously consider running for president,” a “close friend” of Markle said.
However, at the time, other sources close to Markle denied the rumors.
“While there’s no denying she is interested and engaged in politics as a topic, she harbors no ambition to enter a career in politics herself,” a “well-placed” source told Vanity Fair.