'If Bob Iger had decided to run for president, I would be canvassing in Iowa right now [...] More than ever, every day, I wish you had done it', said Winfrey in an interview set to air on Sunday.
Iger said last year that he had explored the possibility of a US presidential run in 2020, but that the plans had been scuttled when his tenure at Disney was unexpectedly prolonged until late 2021 after the movie company purchased the film and TV assets of 21st Century Fox for an estimated $71.3 billion.
When asked about his future presidential plans, Iger told Winfrey that he "has this conversation with President Obama and his family a few times. His kids and his wife clearly believed that I had a better job..." Winfrey asks then: "Will you ever run?" and Iger gives a firm reply: "No".
Winfrey reportedly confessed that she had been among those pushing Iger to run for the presidency.
In 2018, US media outlets broke the news, citing numerous sources, that Winfrey - a popular US entertainer and celebrity - had herself mulled a run for the Oval Office in 2020.
Multiple surveys conducted by Rasmussen in 2018 revealed that Winfrey could have won a hypothetical presidential race against US President Donald Trump, although many pundits responding to the poll results noted that almost anyone could best the incumbent US leader.
Trump has stated that he likes Winfrey, noting, however, that he would "beat her" if she ran.